As We Were
by VO1
Summary: rated R for language, sexual situations, and enormous amounts of underage alcoholic consumption
1. Default Chapter

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Chapter 1  
This is a kick in the wallet.  
Mina thought fondly of the meager wad of cash stuffed in her   
purse and how, in a few short minutes, she would be supporting   
the already-rich heirs of Mssrs. Barnes and Noble. There were   
no clean clothes or takeout in the foreseeable future; she would   
have to make do with substituting Febreeze for laundry detergent and   
"borrowing" money off Raye for frat parties. She thought briefly   
of selling her plasma, which Lita suggested while she checked   
all of the lounge couches in Goshin Hall for change to buy Pop   
Tarts.   
No I hate needles. Disgusted, she crammed the hated   
book list in her pocket and pulled open the glass door of the   
campus bookstore. She groaned. Every student and their   
respective siblings were packing the aisles, each with a stack   
of books piled up to their chins and a Mastercard tucked in   
their fist.   
The used book were undoubtedly gone by now. She would pay   
through the nose for the shiny shrink-wrapped ones that cost   
an arm and a leg.   
Damn Raye for buying her books early. Mina had waited   
until classes actually started before she plunked down any   
dinero. She and Raye had roomed together, and the arrangements   
had worked out quite nicely for both parties. Mina's laziness   
was cancelled out by Raye's ambition, and in turn, she got   
Raye to chill once in awhile and play with the Dreamcast.   
They both liked to sleep with the windows open, and Raye would   
do all of the ironing if Mina left her alone when she meditated.   
They interchanged clothes on a regular basis, and to date   
neither remembered who originally owned the gray J. Crew   
sweatshirt. They both pledged Delta Zeta their first semester,   
and the madness of Rush Week had strengthened the already tight bond   
between the two friends.   
Lita and Serena roomed together in Ramsey Hall, and Amy,   
the lucky little squirt, scored a single in Bedford, so she   
could concentrate fully on her studies without the nuisance   
of a roommate watching "Days of our Lives," while she tackled   
Genius Math 101. Lita speculated that Amy's mother had been   
involved in a little string pulling, since freshman with singles   
were as rare as icicles in Hawaii. Serena thought it had to   
do more with Amy's "super humongous brain."  
"Pick me up a pack of HiLiters," Mina mumbled as she   
hefted a two-ton Spanish book off the top shelf, nearly breaking   
her arm in the process. "Don't give me money or anything, Raye.   
Of course I have tons to spend since I bought you guys all   
awesome Christmas presents." The spirit of the holidays hit   
her a little too hard, and all of the money she had earned   
from the catalog spread and body wash ad was gone. She had   
to practically grovel until her father loaned her money for books.   
If she knew then what she did now, all she would have bought   
Raye was a HiLiter and her own damn toothpaste.   
A muscle in her back wrenched painfully. Dammit! That   
bastard Malachite could pack a mean punch. She would pick him   
over Tyson any day. Ever since those g-damn Dark Generals   
appeared, they had been getting their ass handed to them on   
a regular basis. If Jupiter hadn't thrown that rock, (a   
friggin' ROCK, for chrissakes!) she would have been toast.   
She almost laughed through the pain at the memory of Malachite's   
face when Jupiter's hunk of granite made contact with the back   
of his head.   
"Line drive to center field, asshole!" Jupiter had   
screamed, dancing around deliriously. They had been worried   
that Jedite's blast had knocked the wits out of her, but like   
alcohol, Lita had slept it off. Lita could sleep a bottle of   
SoCo off and be baking brownies the next morning. Serena was   
not so lucky. Amy, of course, never drank. Maybe that's why   
she was passing.   
The Generals were posing a problem, though. Under   
Beryl's direct orders, they launched youma attacks weekly,   
usually at high-energy concentrations, which were almost   
always good parties. The Senshi wasted the youma easily, but   
the Generals liked to stick around and beat on them before   
Beryl chickened out and called them back to the Negaverse.   
The Senshi thought they had one weekend free of Nega-trash   
until the Fab Four decided to crash the APD mixer on Sunday   
night. Malachite especially liked to target Amy, the sadist,   
and had been gunning for her the second he appeared. Mina,   
enraged, had thrown a lime jello shot in his hair and tried to   
crescent beam his face off. Amy had been kicked down by Nephlite   
anyway, the stupid APD boy whose hide she had been saving   
whined that she was wasting alcohol, and on top of that, she   
got a wallop on her back for all her trouble. Zoycite had   
roughed up Mars after she hit him with a table and he stood   
up, completely unaffected. The deck was stacked in the   
Negaverse's favor until Jupiter's Randy Johnson fastball almost   
put Malachite in a coma, and all four of them vanished. And   
THEN Tuxedo Mask appeared, extremely late, spouting flowery   
nonsense verses and thornless roses. Since there was not much   
he could say about the virtues of underage drinking, he   
congratulated the senshi on their teamwork and disappeared in   
a swirl of his cape, leaving Sailor Moon with hearts in her   
eyes and Jedite-induced bruises on her legs. Venus had been   
laying on the sticky linoleum floor at this point, Miller   
Genuine Draft soaking her hair and a bruise spreading across   
her back like an oil spill.   
Luna and Artemis were working nonstop trying to find   
the Generals' weaknesses, coming up with Jack Daniels in   
Nephlite's case, but not much else. Those bastards were   
practically invincible. Not only had they brushed off   
the respective attacks like they were gentle breezes instead   
of powerful bursts of elemental energy, but had survived   
being hit with (in order): a mailbox, a fire extinguisher,   
an incredibly heavy solid oak beer pong table, about a hundred   
metal folding chairs, a calculus book (which would have been   
lethal to the regular layman), a big chunk of curb, a computer   
desk, an empty keg, a floor fan, a park bench, a FEDERAL   
mailbox, an abandoned old mattress, and a metal dumpster.   
And that was just what Mina had whipped at them using her   
Love Chain. Lita even hit them with her car once. Nothing,   
NOTHING took them down. Nephlite even laughed after he   
took a faceful of Ford Focus bumper. Mina honestly didn't   
know how much longer she could put up with these regular   
ass beatings. They would think that she was moonlighting   
as a bouncer if she showed up to her photo shoots with those   
bruises.  
Mina's eyes drifted off the stack of books and her   
guy-radar started searching through the aisles for potentials.   
Ugh, it just wasn't fair that Serena and Darien were so   
sickeningly cute together, and the only guys she had gotten   
to know on a less-clothed level were absolute pricks. Not   
that she had done anything that she would have regretted,   
of course. They didn't call her Sailor V for nothing.   
She wanted what Serena had: someone to think about her   
24/7 and care about her. Someone that would skip class   
and lay in bed with her all day. Someone who would look   
at her like she was the reason that person was put on earth.   
Someone who would sneak in Goshin and spend the night in   
her room. She wanted someone who would give her a reason   
to hang a scrunchie on the doorknob, the universal   
go-away-roommate signal.   
I need a man. Ooh, there's one.  
And there was one. Two, actually. The tall   
one in the gray fleece jacket caught her attention, and   
she unabashedly stared at his back. Oh wow, I'm liking   
the guy and I haven't even seen his face yet, she thought.   
She had the brief daydream of running her hand down his   
back and feeling all the tight muscles underneath. Of   
course, the gray jacket wouldn't be there, and neither   
would whatever was under that…  
The object of her affection bent down and pulled   
a chemistry book from the bottom shelf, turning slightly   
to show his friend, allowing Mina to see his profile.  
For a fraction of an iota of a second, she went   
completely numb. Then she sucked her breath in, feeling   
rational thought drain out of her as if someone pulled a   
plug. Her trembling hand dropped Raye's HiLiters, and her   
arms constricted around her books in a death grip. Somehow   
her senshi mind defensively kept her from dropping her   
books and drawing attention to herself. Her heart hammered.   
Move, MOVE! Her mind screamed, and her body obeyed, albeit   
slowly. She took a single step to her right, obscuring the   
guy's sight of her behind a shelf. To the casual observer,   
it seemed that she might have spotted an ex-boyfriend, or a   
crush she was too shy to talk to. In reality, Mina was   
panicking.   
Oh God, what if he does something here? she   
thought feverishly. I can't transform! The bookstore   
was swarming with people; he could have his pick of any   
number of victims. And the dumb fools, they didn't even know   
that they were potential victims! Two girls were standing   
within five feet of him, making themselves the proverbial   
fish in a barrel.   
Mina mentally screamed at them. Get out of there!   
Get OUT OF THERE!! HE'S EVIL!!! HE'LL KILL YOU!!! RUN!!!   
She bit her lower lip, the image of Malachite striking like   
a cobra and attacking the curly-haired girl replayed over   
and over in her mind. She clumsily shoved the books on a   
nearby shelf and was fumbling for her communicator when   
Malachite's companion turned and her worst fears were confirmed.   
The shorter man was Jedite, and he seemed to be in deep   
onversation with Malachite. Probably plotting when and   
where to release the youma.  
Mina crouched behind the shelf of binders and flipped   
open her communicator, which looked almost exactly like a   
Motorola cellular phone. It could be used as one, too, and   
it frequently was used as such in non-emergencies. Under   
the black plastic, it was the original senshi communicator,   
bestowed by Luna and modified by Amy. The old communicators   
had been much too obvious, especially when a group of   
well-meaning RA's cornered Serena and asked her if she was   
homesick, if she took drugs, ect., after they discovered her   
talking to her calculator in the lounge. Amy had also   
rebuilt her mini-computer to look like a Palm Pilot when   
they were in normal form.   
Mina pressed the pound sign twice, and immediately   
the other senshi communicator-phones rang their special ring.   
Raye had been sound asleep back in the room when her   
cell phone blared. Groggily, she flipped it opened, and   
three squares with digital images of Serena, Amy, and Lita   
blinked on. Raye could see pillow around Lita's head,   
and knew she had been sleeping, too. Luna was forcing   
her head under Serena's chin. Mina's square was black,   
meaning that she had the phone up to her ear. "What's   
going on," Raye snapped, alerted. Mina's black box meant   
she was in public, and probably in trouble.   
"I'm at the bookstore," Mina's whisper was almost   
drowned out by background noise. "Malachite and Jedite   
are here."  
Serena's jaw dropped. "Ok, we'll be right there!   
Let's go guys!"  
"Hold on Serena," Amy interjected, coolly logical.   
"Mina, are they attacking anyone? I don't hear much of a   
fight."   
"No, they're not," Mina said. She snuck another   
look at the pair. "They're…I don't know, you guys. It   
looks like they're buying books or something. Dammit,   
Jedite got the last used Chem II!"   
Lita yawned, giving the other girls a great view   
of her fillings. "Aw, man, I needed that one, too!"  
"Mina, it's probably a trap! Beryl probably gave   
them a refresher course in how to act normal and then   
they're going to take out the bookstore!" Raye hissed.   
There was a pause. "Did you get my HiLiters?"  
"Raye!" Amy gasped.  
"Yes, jerk! Um, and.."  
"And?" Raye echoed. "And what?"  
"They're different," Mina continued. "They're   
a lot younger. And not as evil looking. They're, uh,   
harmless looking? What's the word, Ames?"  
"Benign?" Amy offered.   
"I guess." She examined them closer. Malachite's   
hair was much shorter, and he was less sinewy then when s  
he had last seen him. He was much younger, and the angles   
in his face were softer than the sharp ones she was used   
to. One of the girls dropped a book, and he reached down  
and picked it up for her. Jedite also looked much   
younger and healthier too. He was swinging a set of keys   
from a Bryce key chain with a bottle opener on it. He   
said something, and Malachite smiled softly, like was   
embarrassed. Jedite grinned, a full-on grin with no   
trace of evil. Something about them was different;   
their facial features were not dead-on, their builds   
were different, and they looked so completely normal   
Mina would have mistaken them for college students if   
she hadn't been getting the crap kicked out of her by   
them for the last two months.   
"Maybe you guys better come down here and see f  
or yourself," Mina suggested.   
************  
"She wants you, man," Jay Melman grinned crazily   
at his friend.  
"Who?" Kevin Belles ran his fingers through his   
platinum hair, a clear sign that he was nervous. Jay really   
knew what nerves to hit, but that was the price to pay for   
having a friend since the sixth grade. Jay could read the   
smallest expression to a T, and nothing was sacred in his realm.   
"The blond that dropped her HiLiters and ran. She's   
hiding behind a shelf and staring at you."   
Kevin took a quick glance and whipped back around so   
fast Jay thought he'd broken his neck. His face was scarlet.   
There was a blond girl staring at him, and in the minute   
instant that he actually laid eyes on her, he noticed that   
she was beautiful.   
"Shut up," he muttered, not knowing what else to   
say. Kevin's shyness was the one feature that both attracted   
and repelled the female gender. After receiving an overbearing   
double dose of Matt and Jay in their face, and Zach's biting   
wit waiting behind in the wings to back them up, girls were   
drawn to the "cute, quiet one" who lingered in the back. It   
didn't help that Kevin, with his stormy gray eyes and   
football player build, was irresistible. But after repeated   
efforts to get him to talk had failed, they gravitated into   
the more than welcome arms of his friends. "We are taking   
you everywhere, man!" Matt had proclaimed when two freshly   
rejected sorority girls suggested that he walk them back to   
their house.   
Now, standing there in the bookstore, eyes to the   
floor and hands jammed in pockets, Kevin prayed that an   
iota of Jay's mojo would rub off on him. Jay had a gift,   
the gift of being able to charm the panties off of any   
female, any age, at any time, with almost no effort. He   
remembered how Jay had gotten free meals for a year from   
old Ms. Petroski, their high school cafeteria lady. The   
mojo had side effects, though. Two girls, who the guys   
had dubbed Crazy Kristen and Typhoon Lagoon, (real names,   
Kristen Hayes and Stacy Mayeski) persistently called Jay   
at least twice a day, both convinced that he was still in   
love with her. The effects of the mojo had not worn off   
on them.   
"Dude, I am telling you, that girl is so digging   
your flat ass! She is checking you out! Hey man, she's   
got knockers!" Every other word was emphasized.  
"Would you shut up?"  
"Oh Hey-Zeus H. Christmas, you are shitting me!   
She's wicked hot, man, go for it. Look! LOOK! She's got   
her cell phone out and she's calling her friends! Aw, man,   
would you check out her tits?"  
Kevin snuck another glance at her face instead. 


	2. 2

Chapter 2 Getting longer  
**************************************************************  
"Go talk to her," Jay hissed at Kevin, rather nastily. If you don't,   
I will he thought. Maybe a serious relationship would get Typhoon Lagoon   
off his back for awhile, or at least until the semester ended.  
Kevin's gray eyes darted in the girl's general direction for a millisecond,   
and when he turned back he faced Jay with a renewed determination that only   
surfaced when he was drunk. "OK," he said, the two letters his declaration of   
independence. "Wait here, all right?"  
Jay was silently cheering. "OK, man, I'm not going anywhere. I'll   
stay   
here with these very interesting and abhorrently expensive books." He   
snatched up a philosophy book and pretended to read, exaggerating interest  
by frowning and nodding. "Ah, yes, fascinating, really."   
"Idiot," Kevin mumbled. The longer Jay continues with this crap, the   
less nerve he had.   
A redhead passed the two boys, carrying the same philosophy book   
that Jay was fooling around with. "Later, man," Jay called, chasing after her,   
book in tow. "See you back at the house."  
Crap. Now he would have to talk to her alone, without any backup.   
He pretended to look at books while checking to see if she was still there.   
She was. She had just hung up her phone and was looking around the   
bookstore anxiously. He frantically tried to think of something to start a   
conversation with. He couldn't just walk up to her and say, "Hi! How're   
you doing? I think you're hot, wanna go out?" It might work for Jay, ok,   
it always worked for Jay, but it wasn't his style. Plus he lacked the mojo   
and the spine to pull it off.   
His salvation came in the form of neon bright markers. Slowly,   
deliberately, he made his way to the end of the aisle, stopping a couple of   
feet in front of Mina.   
Oh God, oh God he thought, his heart pumping. She was so   
beautiful. Kevin had to physically restrain himself from touching her light   
blond hair, to see if it was as soft as his eyes perceived it. Her color of her   
deep blue eyes must have been one of Crayola's 96. He wanted to run his   
fingers down her face, trace the smooth contours of her porcelain skin, feel   
the bristle of her light eyelashes, and touch the petal of her lips. He wanted   
to hear his name whispered through those lips. And her scent, it was   
something extraordinary, something as clean and happy as she looked.   
It reminded him of running outside into the fresh air after being indoors for   
an extended period.  
Mina had no idea that Malachite would just walk up to her like that,   
and then stare at her like she was Zoycite or something. She shoved her   
hand in her coat pocket and clenched her henshin pen, ready to transform   
in front of all these people, if need be. She tensed, waiting for the attack that   
would soon likely follow. Hurry up, you guys! she silently prayed.   
C'mon, move your asses this time and I swear I'll never be late for   
another senshi meeting again, I swear, Oh God oh God oh God.   
Malachite bent down, and she had halfway pulled the pen out of   
her pocket and was about to say the magic words when his silver head   
popped back up and he held something out to her. Stupefied that fact that   
she wasn't dead by then, she forced herself to look down at the object he   
was offering her.   
"You dropped these," he said. You're voice is different!   
Mina almost screamed out loud.   
"Th-thank you," she stuttered, confused. Why wasn't he killing   
her yet? Should she kill him first? Why was he being kinda sorta nice to   
her? The only time Malachite had been remotely considerate was when   
he punched her in the kidney instead of the face, which saved her modeling   
job that she had the next day. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted   
Amy at the opposite end of the aisle, typing furiously on her "Palm Pilot."   
Amy caught her gaze and motioned for her to keep Malachite talking, and   
then pointed to the registers and gave her half-hearted thumbs up. Mina   
followed her finger to the registers, where Raye (wearing sweatpants and a   
baseball hat) and Lita were standing around, trying to look inconspicuous.   
Lita had her cell phone up to her ear, which meant she was in communication   
with Serena, who was standing in front of the back door, obviously   
blocking an escape route.   
She turned back to Malachite, who seemed very uncomfortable,   
most likely because he was still holding out the pack of HiLiters   
to Mina, and she hadn't taken them yet. "Oh! Oh, thank you."   
She took the package, and in the process their fingers brushed   
slightly.   
It was like they both had been shocked by low voltage electricity.   
They locked eyes, blue to gray, and Mina felt herself drowning in his   
gaze. Something heartbreaking and familiar swam through her,   
stirring up long dead sensations, rousing excitement, playing in every   
cell of her body. She had the sudden urge to embrace him and never   
let go. She was sure he felt it, too, by the way his tumultuous gray   
eyes settled into an inviting softness. The moment was getting to intense   
for her to handle, so she started babbling, her most frequent escape  
route.  
"Thanks, uh, there's my roommate's, she um, she likes to   
highlight things." Oh my dear lord, did I just say that?  
Kevin contributed his bit of verbal diarrhea. "Yeah, I know,   
I like to highlight things too." I did not just say that. Oh my God,   
I'm so stupid, I can't believe that my first words to this angel was   
something as asinine as that. Jay's right, I am a loser.  
During this painful dialogue, Amy was impatiently slogging   
through the useless facts her computer was spitting out. "Height,   
weight, yeah, yeah, yeah," she muttered to herself. "Just tell me if   
he's from the Negaverse!" She pulled out her cell phone and opened   
the channel to the other phones. "You guys, I don't think that's   
Malachite."  
"Amy, it has to be Malachite! I mean, look at him! I say we   
fry his sorry Negaverse ass before he wastes Mina!" Raye was practically  
barking into her phone.   
"Yeah, Amy, Mina is in considerable danger being that close   
to Malachite. Let's send him back to hell where he belongs!" Lita   
cracked her knuckles, anticipating a good fight with the Nega-scum.   
"No, it's not Malachite!" Amy insisted. "I have his information  
right here." She read off his driver's license. "Kevin Patrick Belles,   
6'6, 275 lbs, born January 19th, son of Marie and Frank Belles, brother   
to Kaylee and Jennifer Belles, sophomore at Bryce University, majoring   
in political science, currently living at 22 Boris St., apartment 2C,   
attended Moore High School, graduated 35th in a class of three   
hundred, allergic to shellfish, broke his right tibia four years ago…"  
"Jeez, Amy, why don't you tell us what he had for lunch,   
too?"  
"Lita, I'm just trying to keep you properly informed."   
"Amy, the Negaverse has fooled us more than once!   
What iff that Kevin guy is really Malachite in disguise?" Raye asked,  
a little disconcerted about the way her best friend was staring   
transfixed at their mortal enemy.  
"Well, I doubt that Beryl would go through so much trouble   
as to forge personal identification like this. I've got his driver's license,   
his Social Security number, his medical records, and his school records,   
even his credit history. This would take major research and effort,   
and usually Beryl just flies by the seat of her pants.  
Plus, he's not emitting any Dark energy. He is emitting,   
something, though, but it's faint." Her computer screen contained   
the scene in front of her in real time, and made visible the energy   
emitting from each person. All the passersby were outlined in blurry   
white light, there normal human energy made visible. Mina was surrounded   
with a thick gold cloud of energy, the energy of Venus. Strangely,   
Kevin Belles was surrounded with a thin layer of silver light, which   
Amy's computer identified as "unknown." If he had really been   
Malachite, the halo would have been black.   
"Well, what is it?" Raye snapped. "I'm not dragging my ass   
out of bed to check out some guy!"   
"Well, he looks a lot like Malachite, with the hair and everything,"   
Lita offered as consolation.   
"Oh well, you guys, false alarm!" Serena chirped. "Aw, look! I   
think Mina likes him! He IS totally hot!" She punched a button on   
her phone.  
The ringing cell phone broke through the uncomfortable silence   
between Mina and Kevin. "Oh, I'm sorry," Mina said, pulling it out.   
Oh thank God, I didn't know what to say to him. Why am I choking  
now? "Hello?"  
"You woke me up for this?" Raye practically shouted. "Mina, the next   
time you feel the urge to have me witness you choking in front of some  
guy please resist it!"   
"Don't listen to her, she's just mad that she's in public in sweatpants.   
And she thought the guy was Malachite when she first saw him, too.   
You know, he dresses just like my ex-boyfriend."   
"Oh don't even start. And everyone's seen me in sweatpants,   
I wear them to class all the time."   
"Mina, according to my readings, he's not Malachite, or any kind   
of Nega-creature, so…"  
"Oh Mina, he's so hot! Did he ask you out yet?"  
Mina hung up the phone. "I'm sorry, I just…" At that moment   
she remembered that she had never told this guy her name. "I'm   
so sorry I never told you my name. I'm Mina."  
He smiled at her softly, and Mina felt herself melting. "Hi Mina,   
I'm Kevin. Kevin Belles. Nice to meet you."   
She couldn't keep his gaze anymore; it was too intense. She lowered   
her head and stared at her shoes instead. "So are you buying books?"   
Ding ding ding! Oh thank you Sailor Obvious for that bit of insight!  
"Yeah, I was supposed to get here a lot earlier, but my schedule got   
messed up, and then one of those weird monsters attacked outside  
my building and my car got its tire blown off in the process, so I   
didn't really have the financial support until now."  
Oh jeez, I think I remember that. I hope his car isn't an old   
Blazer. "I know. I spent all my money on Christmas presents, and…"  
"KEVIN!" Jay was striding towards him, the philosophy book   
gone and a magazine in its place. "C'mon, we told Matt we'd pick   
up food a half hour ago. He's probably starving." He stopped and   
flashed Mina his do-me smile. "Hell-llo! Who is this lovely thing, Kev?"  
Kevin reminded himself to beat the crap out of Jay once they got home.   
"Jay, this is Mina; Mina, this is Jay. You know, I can't wait to lift when   
I get home."   
Jay's stomach sunk; this was Kevin's code for an approaching ass-kicking.   
He quickly tried to salvage an escape route. "So, Mina, where do you l  
ive?"  
"Uh, Goshin Hall." She smiled; the Jedite look-alike had a way of   
relieving tension in the situation. She glanced over his shoulder and saw   
Amy shaking her head and mouthing, Not Jedite!   
"What a coincidence, Kevin and I are going to be around there   
tomorrow night! Right Kevin?" Kevin dully nodded, and wondered  
if his face could get any redder. "Do you mind if we stop by?   
Which floor?"  
"Second. Room 223." Mina felt a tug on her arm. It was Raye, a   
very irritated Raye.   
"C'mon, Mina, we have an emergency Key Club meeting that we can't  
miss." "Key Club Meeting" of course meant "Senshi Meeting."   
Jay was on the tip of his tongue to start his usual ladies man routine   
on the newcomer, but when she looked at him, all rational thought   
drained away at the sight of those violet eyes and he found himself,   
for once, speechless. Most of her shiny black hair was hidden under   
a hat, but a few wisps escaped, brushing against her smooth face and   
teasing him in the most merciless way. Her eyelashes were so long and   
black that Jay felt the childish urge to pull on them to see if they were   
real.   
Raye caught him staring at her. "What are you looking at?" she   
demanded, in her usual subdued way.   
"N-nothing," he stuttered, feeling as shy as Kevin at the moment.   
"This is my roommate, Raye," Mina interjected, out of pity for Jay.   
Raye could stare a man into tears if she tried hard enough.   
"Oh hi, Raye, uh, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Ok, then. Nice meeting   
you, Mina, bye." Jay grabbed Kevin's sleeve and practically ran away,  
mentally berating himself for acting like such a scrub.   
"See you tomorrow, Mina," Kevin said to her before being dragged   
away.   
"Yes, goodbye," she called at his retreating back. She would be   
counting the minutes until tomorrow night.   
"Yo, goofball, what did he mean by 'tomorrow night?'" Raye asked,   
waving a hand in front of Mina's face.   
"They're going to stop by tomorrow, Ok?" She grinned.   
"Hey, guys, senshi meeting!" Serena sang as she, Amy and Lita joined   
them in the aisle. "Amy's got some ideas, and, oh! He asked you out,   
didn't he!"   
"Kinda," she said, her head still full of Kevin.  
"Oh my gosh, you'll have to tell us all about it! I wanna hear everything,   
ok? C'mon, Luna and Artemis are waiting for us in my room, and  
they'll want to hear it too!"  
Amy sighed as they left the bookstore. "Guess we won't be   
discussing any business."  
***********  
"Raye is so hot, man!" This was the fourth time Kevin had heard   
those exact words, and he hadn't even backed out of the parking   
space yet. Jay was talking a mile a minute and flipping through his  
magazine. "Aw, just wait until Matt and Zach hear about this, they'll  
be so jealous! Matt hasn't picked up a girl that hot in like, forever."  
Kevin, who was still stewing over his lack of suaveness, was about to   
remind Jay that he hadn't technically picked up Raye, but rather   
withered under her glare when Jay screamed, "OH MY GOD!"  
Kevin slammed on the brakes, thinking that another monster had   
attacked nearby, and nearly caused a pileup. "WHAT?"  
"LOOK!" Jay shouted over several angry honks and many obscene   
yells. He held up a page in the magazine, showing Kevin an ad of a   
blonde girl standing under a waterfall, her back to them, tilting her   
head to the side with her eyes closed in bliss, with one of those girly   
shower poufs frothing with foam in her hands. "Experience the bliss   
with Sheer Bliss body wash," was printed in pink letters across the  
bottom. Kevin snatched the magazine out of Jay's hands and studied   
the picture closer. It was Mina. He stared at her, deaf to Jay's   
excited rambling. "Oh my God, Kev, you picked up a model, the   
guys are NEVER going to believe this, oh jeez, you are the MAN!   
You are the shit! And you owe it all to me!"  
  
  



	3. 3

Part 3, I guess?   
*******************************************************************  
BEEEEEEEEEEP!  
Darien turned over and tried to ignore the ungodly blaring in   
his ear by stuffing a pillow over his head, but even Serena (the   
deepest sleeper possibly in the history of humankind) would have   
trouble snoozing through this racket. Groaning, he flung an arm out   
lazily and hit the button dead on, more out of luck than aim. Oh,  
man! he thought, rubbing that crumbly crap out of his eyes and   
forcing himself to sit up. Incoherent thoughts swam around like   
epileptic goldfish in his head. Class. Soon. Must feed cats.   
Want Pop-Tart. Got to PEE.  
In the end, PEE won. He showered quickly, dressed, and was   
haphazardly jamming a Pop-Tart into his ancient toaster when he heard  
a yawn behind him.   
"Morning, Luna," he mumbled, sweeping stray crumbs and  
rainbow sprinkles into the sink. Luna was always the first to wake   
up.  
"Morning, Darien." Luna leaped agilely onto the counter and   
held up her head for a scratch. He obliged. Pets were strictly   
forbidden in the dorms, and Darien had instantly agreed to share his   
apartment with the cat guardians after Serena tearily explained the   
situation. Leaving them in Japan was not even briefly considered,   
although he had the strong urge to ship Artemis back via UPS after   
the third week of complaining about the airplane's cargo hold.   
He smiled as he scratched Luna's ears, remembering how scared   
all of them were at the airport, clinging to each other like toddlers  
and searching frantically for Darien, their only guide in the foreign  
country. Serena's hair was mussed and her clothes were wrinkled, but   
she had never looked so beautiful to him, standing in the middle of   
chaos and clutching Raye's arm. They hadn't spotted him at first,   
and he had heard Serena nervously say to the girls in faltering   
English, "Maybe we need assistance." She used to avoid any word   
with an "L" in it.   
"No, we can do it," Raye replied, her accent heavy. "Minako,   
herup us. Find Mamoru."  
Mina had timidly turned to an elderly woman. "Excuse me, ma'm,   
but do you know where the information desk is?" She spoke   
English fluently, with a heavy British accent from her years living   
in England.   
Darien had popped out and surprised them, and returned their   
hugs and squeals. He hugged Serena the hardest. "Your English has   
improved, Serena. I'm so proud of you!"   
She was nervous. "No, not good. Many persons at university."  
"Don't worry," he reassured her, although he was a bit nervous   
for everyone except Mina and Amy, who spoke better than most Americans.  
"You'll get the hang of it." And she did. By Christmas, she was   
as comfortable chattering away in English as she was in Japanese, as   
was Lita and Raye. She would forget sometimes and prattle away to her  
family or Naru in English when they called. She even learned to write  
in script.   
Darien poured a bowl of milk for Luna and started gathering his   
books. "What happened yesterday, Luna? Serena said there was someone  
at the bookstore that looked like Malachite."   
"Yes, there was, although we had him completely analyzed and   
turned up with nothing, I'm afraid. But we put our heads together last   
night and decided to keep a close eye on this guy just in case he   
turns out to be some Negaverse lackey. You have to see him, Darien;   
if I didn't know any better I'd swear he was Malachite's twin." She   
daintily lapped up her milk, jumping slightly when the toaster regurgitated   
a burned Pop-Tart with an atomic bang. "Mina seems to be a little   
smitten with him. We had the hardest time keeping her attention   
during the senshi meeting. As a matter of fact, I think she's going   
to meet him tonight."   
"Mina is going to meet WHO tonight?" A flash of white fur streaked  
into the kitchen. "What's going on? Luna, tell me!"  
"Relax, Artemis, we've discovered that the guy's not a threat."  
"NOT A-LUNA WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"  
Darien laughed softly as he grabbed his coat and headed out.   
************  
His first class was cell biology, which he found extremely boring,  
but fortunately, about a hundred other students decided to join in   
the monotony with him, mostly third semester pre-meds. He was slightly   
late, and the auditorium was already more than slightly packed. He   
sat one seat away from a dark-blond kid wearing wire-rim glasses and   
scribbling furiously in a spiral notebook. Curiosity got the best   
of him, and he leaned over to see what the guy was doing.  
"It's a bridge, see?" The guy held up his notebook, showing a   
considerably embarrassed Darien a pencil sketch of a suspension bridge.   
Reddening, Darien stuttered, "I…I'm sorry, I didn't, um, I mean…"  
The guy smiled, and Darien's heart leapt in his throat. The   
expression was a little off, and there was nothing malicious in the   
smile…  
"Zach. Zach Straub." The sandy-haired guy held out his hand for   
Darien to shake.  
"Darien Chiba." Oh my God now I know how Mina felt. This is   
downright eerie.   
"Do you like bridges?" He knew the question was stupid, but he   
needed something other to say than, "Are you Zoycite?"  
"Not really, I'm just bored. If I didn't need this class I would  
be taking Music Listening or something. I should be outlining the   
chapter, because we had a pitch tournament last night and I didn't   
even crack this mother yet." He tapped the cover of his biology book.  
"Do you play pitch? We had to distract my one friend; he was freaking  
out because some girl talked to him and she wasn't asking if she could  
take his order. You wouldn't believe it: this kid is huge, could   
probably break me in half, but he can't talk to a female that's not   
his mother without puking his guts out. He makes me look like the   
'Ladies' Man.'" Zach took off his glasses and leaned back. "Yeth,   
mm-hmm, that's disgusting."  
Darien laughed; Zach could do a pretty good imitation of the SNL   
character. "Watch a lot of TV?"   
"Yes, unfortunately. My friend Jay forces us to watch all the   
reruns. He doesn't care if you have a test or a headache or surgery   
the next day-you're watching SNL. You should see him do Farley when   
he's drunk, it's key."  
Zach was in the middle of telling him about the time Jay broke   
the couch when Darien spotted a familiar blue head lingering in the   
doorway. "Amy!" he called, waving her over. She hurried to his row.  
"Mmm, a lady!" Zach whispered, still stuck in Leon Phelps mode.   
"Hi Darien," she said, sitting between him and Zach.   
"Hey Amy. What's up?"  
Zach cleared his throat loudly. "Darien, my new best friend,   
aren't you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?"  
Darien grinned; he knew what Zach was up to. Amy blushed   
good-naturedly. "Oh, I'm not his girlfriend," she explained.   
"Serena is, she's one of my best friends."  
Zach raised an eyebrow, and Darien started coughing to hide his   
laughter. "Oh, I thought he was your boyfriend, the way he saved   
you a seat and everything."  
Now Amy was getting genuinely embarrassed. "No, I don't have   
a boyfriend." She started flipping through her notebook, searching   
frantically for a distraction. Darien and Zach locked eyes over her   
head, and something coherently male passed between them.  
"Amy, I'm sorry that you have to sit next to this jerk. This is   
Zach Straub, Zach, this is the one and only Amy Mizuno, the very   
same one who broke the record in the 100 butterfly this season."  
"Really?" Zach's façade melted away and was replaced with   
genuine interest. "You're on the team? They had a pretty good season."  
"Yes, the coach talked me into joining. He got me a scholarship   
but…" she stopped before she said that she really didn't need it,   
because she had gotten enough academic ones to see her through. And   
the coach had practically begged her to join, offering her all sorts   
of incentives, which she had graciously refused. "My first semester   
was relatively easy, so I decided I would give it a try."  
"You broke a school record your first semester! Wow, that thing   
stood for like 10 years or something."  
"Ten years, nine months," Darien added, grinning.   
Amy was almost purple with embarrassment. "It's no big deal,   
really. I don't even think I'm going to join next year anyway."  
"Don't you want to break your own record?"  
Zach never got an answer, since the professor walked in and   
immediately started lecturing. Darien slipped into his usual   
semi-coma, blocking everything out until Amy dumped a piece of paper   
onto his lap. He unfolded it and read:  
I've got a break after this. Anyone want to grab a   
coffee after class?  
Sorry, I have a class after this one. But thank you   
anyway.  
How about you, D?  
He leaned over to whisper instructions at Amy, but she answered   
before he had a chance to ask. "No, Darien, he's not…you know. I   
already scanned him."  
"Thanks, Ames," he whispered back, smiling. If anyone was on   
it, it was Amy. He clicked his pen and scrawled, Yeah, sure, then   
handed the note back to Amy. He racked his brain, wondering if he   
had to meet Serena or something during the break.   
After class, they said goodbye to Amy and headed out. "Where   
are we going?" Darien asked. Zach smiled in a way that was a tad   
too Zoycite.   
"Let's grab some Fresno's and take it back to my place. I don't   
think anyone else is home."  
"What's Fresno's?"  
"You're kidding, right?"  
Darien shook his head. "Oh my God you're not kidding. You've   
never had Fresno's? It's only the best place in the state of   
California! It's so good, man, you have to try their chicken cheese  
steaks, they are friggin' KEY! C'mon, I borrowed Kevin's piece of   
crap car. You should have seen it! Last week this freaky-ass   
monster appeared out of nowhere and started ripping **** up and   
blew one of the Blazer's tires off! Then those chicks wearing   
these cheerleading outfits popped out of nowhere and wasted it! It   
was the bomb, man! Kevin was pissed, though."  
Oh no I think I remember that. Darien tried his best to   
look nonchalant, even though he had been there. And it had been   
one of Jupiter's misfires that blew the tire off, not the youma.   
He followed Zach to the car, and for a second he had to strangest   
feeling. He wasn't uncomfortable, exactly, but he had this feeling,   
like Zach was some prestigious club or something. He never   
remembered having a guy to talk to before. In fact, he hadn't really  
talked to anyone before, besides the girls, and he had never gone   
out to lunch like this, like he and Zach were…  
He wondered if he was making a friend.   
  
  
************  
  
"Geez, Mina, stop chewing your fingernails."  
Mina yanked her hand away from her mouth and glared up at Raye,   
irritated with her friend's bossy tone. "What, bothering you?"  
"As a matter of fact, it is. And what if you have to do hand   
modeling, or something? Lita's got nicer hands than you, and that's  
not saying a lot."  
Mina winced and pried at a hangnail, thinking of the deep scar   
in Lita's finger from where her hand slipped chopping walnuts to   
put in cookies. After that particularly gruesome incident, all her   
cookies had been nut-free. Sighing, she mentally admitted that Raye   
had a point: she was sure that the next Rolex ad didn't include   
bleeding cuticles.  
They were sitting in the lounge in the entrance of Goshin Hall,  
which was empty except for an RA stapling papers to a bulletin   
board and the front desk person. All day, Mina's stomach felt   
like it was trying to turn itself inside out, and, with the   
possibility of seeing Kevin again manifesting, she focused her   
nervousness onto her defenseless fingernails. She could see   
his steely eyes in her mind's eye, and how those eyes had such   
a power over her that she willingly drowned in their gaze. But   
unfortunately, when she saw him, she couldn't exactly stare at   
him the entire time.   
Why are you going postal? she chastised herself. You're   
the Senshi of Love, so…love, or whatever. Work your magic.   
Raye had come with her, even though she insisted that Luna had   
instructed her to do so "just in case this guy really is Malachite   
and I have to waste him." Serena had brought up the Jedite   
look-alike exactly once before Raye jumped down her throat, telling   
her in no uncertain terms that she would never date someone as   
conceited as that, and for that matter, anyone who looked like a   
Dark Kingdom general. Serena had quickly, and wisely, dropped the   
subject.   
"Nervous?" Raye had read her mind, naturally.  
"No," Mina lied, ignoring her fingers and tugging on the strings  
on the hood of her sweatshirt instead. She silently wished that she  
had money to do her laundry, so she had something to wear other than  
track pants and the infamous gray sweatshirt. Raye was wearing her   
favorite purple sweater and dark jeans, since she had enough change   
to wash a load of darks. Raye always wore dark colors, and Mina's   
wardrobe was predominantly light, so she had gotten shafted this   
time around.   
"You could have borrowed something, you know. Just not my sweaters.  
Your big boobs always stretch them out." Raye grinned widely, and   
Mina stuck her tongue out playfully.  
"My boobs are fabulous. And I'm not even in the same league as   
Lita."   
"I swear-- the hottest guy to give you a second look and you're   
meeting him in your pajamas."   
"Yeah well, I didn't think of that," Mina mumbled, embarrassed   
that Raye had brought up her crappy clothes and equally crappy track  
record with men. "You obviously did. Looking good for Jay?"  
Raye opened her mouth, undoubtedly to report in a very loud   
voice that she had absolutely no interest in him, when the real Jay,  
accompanied by the real Kevin, complete with gorgeous eyes, interrupted   
her. Mina felt her internal organs melt when she and Kevin locked   
eyes.   
"Hey girls," Jay flashed his molars and plopped down next to   
Raye, who was scowling. "How are we tonight, Raye?"  
Kevin sat down next Mina, and immediately sunk into the squishy  
cushions that had probably been there since the Silver Millennium.   
Mina felt her seat slant dangerously, and she toppled onto Kevin in   
Serena-like glory.   
"I'm sorry!" she giggled, grabbing his bicep for support. It   
felt like a softball. Oh my gosh he's so built! Lita is going   
to be so jealous!   
Probably every one of Kevin's dreams came true when Mina fell   
on his lap. A shower of gold strands brushed his face when she   
straightened up, and he resisted the urge to bury his face in her   
hair and inhale. He was sitting close enough to smell her, and her   
fresh scent was enough for him to lose any semblance of rational   
thought. "It's OK," he said, silently thanking Bryce University for  
not replacing their couch cushions in Goshin Hall since 1974.  
Mina was on the tip of her tongue to start small talk, but he   
interrupted her. "I saw you in a magazine."  
"Oh," she said, surprised. Her fan base consisted of her parents  
her friends, and the two cats. "You did?" He nodded. She dropped   
her voice so Jay and Raye couldn't hear. "Was I taking a shower   
under a waterfall?"   
"Yeah." His eyes shone, like moonlight on sand.   
She started giggling, a habit she never really dropped no matter   
how old she got. "Oh, my gosh I can't believe you saw that! It was   
the stupidest thing, really. They had me stand under that fake   
waterfall for hours, and it was freezing! I was such a prune when I   
got out!"  
"You were beautiful," Kevin said before he realized what he was   
saying. Way to go Slick.   
Mina blushed and starting picking at her nails again. They were  
silent for a while, until she broke the tension. "It keeps me and my  
friends supplied with body wash, though," she laughed. "Except for   
Amy, it gives her a rash."  
"What, that soap--junk?" Raye interrupted. She and Jay had been   
verbally bashing a professor that they shared and disliked.   
"Yeah, you wouldn't believe how sick I am of smelling like that   
stuff. People know we're coming before they can see us."   
Mina playfully hit her. "She had a different opinion of it when   
she was out of money." She imitated Raye's bossy tone. "'Mina,   
where's that soap they gave you? Don't tell me we're out!'"  
They all laughed except Raye, who was only slightly ruffled rather  
than enraged. "Hey, Raye, feeling hungry?"  
"No," she immediately replied, just as her stomach growled.   
If that cretin thinks I'm going anywhere with him, he's sadly   
mistaken.   
"Well, I am. Want to see what's cooking in the dining hall?" He   
leaned over and gave her a look that said, so we can leave those   
two alone.  
"Um," she turned and caught Mina's pleading expression. "OK,   
all right. Mina, don't go anywhere, OK?"  
She smiled up at her dark haired friend and nodded. "Thanks Raye,"   
she whispered.  
Raye was halfway out the door when she turned and hissed, "You're   
doing the ironing for a month, hoser!"  
Kevin slightly smiled after the pair left. "Why do I have the   
feeling that I'm going to see Jay's chalk outline on the ground   
when I leave?"  
Mina laughed open-mouthed, in decidedly un-sexy way. "You never   
told me your last name," he said suddenly.  
"Oh, Aino."  
"So your last name is…?"  
"That's it. Aino."  
"I know? Is that one word?"   
"NO!" she laughed, wondering if this was an Abbot and Costello skit.  
"It's Japanese! A-I-N-O. Aino."  
"You're from Japan?" He frowned, terribly confused. "I thought you   
were British or something."  
"No, but I lived in England for awhile so that's where I learned to   
speak English. My real name's Minako."  
"Minako," he repeated, enraptured by its musical quality. "Uh, no   
offense, but why are you in the States? Aren't Japanese schools a   
lot better?"  
His platinum eyes were focused on her, and the next thing she knew,   
what seemed to be her life story was pouring out. Beginning when   
Darien left to study in America, and how it was only supposed to be   
a year, and how he decided to stay there. How Serena tearfully decided that she would join him there if it killed her, so she buckled down and rivaled Amy in her academic ambition. How, at about that same time, Mina had received a call from an agent willing to represent her if she moved to the states, and promised to make her a supermodel. How Amy had talked to Darien and was informed of Bryce University's prestigious medical program and excellent swim team. How Raye caved and decided to give another part of the world a shot, since her father tried in vain to make up years of absence by offering her a free ride to any school she wanted. How Lita came because she didn't want to be left alone.   
She told Kevin about her friends' frantic struggle to learn English   
in a year and a half, and how the turning point came when Serena's   
family bought a satellite dish. She told him about the hours they   
spent watching American TV, and how Lita, Raye, and Serena learned   
English from "Friends," and "NYPD Blue," and "Sex and the City."   
She told him about picking American names, and how Makoto chose   
"Lita" from a soap opera and because she thought it would improve   
her Ls.   
Her eyes watered and her throat stung as she told him about saying   
goodbye to her family, and how she cried when she left them again   
after Christmas break. Choking, she raised her head and gasped when  
she saw that Kevin was actually paying attention to her chatter,   
when most others had learned to tune it out. "Oh, I'm sorry! I   
didn't mean to go on like that!" She wiped a trace of wetness out   
of her eyes.   
"That's OK," he said, "I love to hear it."  
His voice was so deep, Mina could feel it vibrating the air as   
it passed between them. She vigorously rubbed her eyes, and   
suddenly brightened. "Do you want to see my friends?" she asked,   
flashing him her mega-watt smile.  
Kevin, dumbfounded by her sudden switching of moods, mutely nodded.   
Mina bounced off the couch and grabbed his hand. "C'mon," she urged,   
leading him like a shepherd towards the stairs. She released his hand  
and ran up the stairs, and he followed her and wished that they were   
still holding hands. Thank God Jay wasn't there to witness the   
carnage this time around. He would pee himself.  
Mina unlocked the door to her cinderblock cell, fully aware of what   
it looked like to the other people on her floor. She pushed the door open, praying to the Dating god that she hadn't left dirty underwear or tampons laying around. Luckily, the most offensive thing left out in the open was one of Raye's sports bras poking out from under her bed. Thanks Raye. It's always nice to have your grody bra in plain view when I have a guy over.   
She ran to a shelf, grabbing a photo album and strategically kicking   
the bra out of sight, while Kevin looked around. "Sorry about the mess,"   
she said, sitting on her bed with the album on her lap. "Have a seat."  
He did, and the squishy mattress caved inward and Mina fell on   
his lap again. "I'm sorry," he said automatically, not sorry at all.  
He would have given his right arm to have an excuse to touch her again.  
She leaned elbows on his thighs and attempted to straighten up, and   
found her face inches from his.   
Kevin forgot to breathe for a few seconds. Their eyes were locked,   
and Mina felt the rest of the room melt away. Background noise from   
the hall grew fainter and fainter, and for a few seconds she thought   
she heard orchestra music, so soft that she could have imagined it.   
Mina suddenly sat up, breaking eye contact. Kevin blushed.  
"God, we have to stop doing this," she laughed, promising   
herself that when she was famous, she would make a generous contribution   
to Goshin Hall with strict instructions never to replace cushions or   
mattresses.   
She opened the album and pointed to the first picture, one of   
her in England. "That's me in England. I was in a Sailor V movie…"  
She was cut off abruptly when her cell phone rang the emergency  
ring.  
  
************  
  
"So Kevin is the only one who could sleep through his snoring,   
so we switched rooms. I can still hear him through the door, though;  
he's a beast. We thought about taking up a collection and getting his  
adenoids removed, but then we would have no money for beer, and that   
would be worse, 'cause if you're passed out you can't hear it anyway."  
Raye laughed into her napkin before she remembered that she   
wasn't supposed to enjoy this particular person's company. However,   
she could look at him and see Jay and not Jedite, being that Jedite   
was more likely to try and break her legs than tell her about his   
snoring roommate.   
"Do you know how to play pitch?" Jay asked, sensing that Raye   
would be a great competitor.  
"No. What's pitch?"  
"What's pitch? Only the greatest card game in the world!   
Here, let me teach you." He pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket.  
"You always carry cards with you?" Raye asked, silently wondering   
if Jay was a closet weirdo.  
"No, they're just in my pocket from this afternoon. Matt and I   
were playing during class. We'll start with four point, then   
I'll teach you ten." He launched into the rules of pitch,   
explaining trump cards and point values, and dealt a practice hand.   
Oh God she's pretty, he thought, watching her bite her lip   
while she debated which card to throw. No, she's more than pretty.   
She's beautiful. She makes every other girl I've dated look like   
expired dog food.   
She threw a card down. "There." Ace of trump, which successfully   
captured his jack.   
"No way," he muttered, staring incredulously at the cards.   
"Holy s***."  
"What? Did I win?"  
"Yeah you won, all right. You kicked my ass; I'm up."   
Raye smiled maliciously, feeling one-upped on the Generals by   
beating a guy who looked like one of them at cards. "I'm good at this,"  
she commented mildly, scooping up the deck.  
"Yeah, no kidding. My friends and I used to play this all the   
time on the moon."  
Raye's fingers knotted together and the cards went flying.   
"What did you say?!" she gasped, her heart pounding like bass in a   
car. Does he know who I am? Oh, I bet he IS Jedite! If he so much  
as breathes the wrong way I'm going to fry him in front of all these   
witnesses!   
Jay stared blankly at her, startled out of his wits. "What's   
wrong, Raye? I just said that me and my friends used to play this   
all the time."   
"No you didn't!" Raye hissed, breathing heavily. "You said   
that you and your friends used to play this all the time ON THE MOON!"  
"Who do you think I am? Neil Armstrong? Raye, what's wrong   
with you?"  
"NOTHING is wrong with me, buddy!" she choked, embarrassed at   
her outburst. Maybe she had heard him wrong, but Hino Rei would   
rather bitch at the hapless boy for hours before she would admit   
defeat.   
"OK," Jay said calmly. "Sorry if I offended you." He dealt   
another hand. "I wouldn't want to go to the moon, anyway. I'd rather   
go to Mars."  
Raye internally blanched and wondered if she would throw up the   
mac and cheese she just ate. For someone who wasn't Jedite, he   
certainly knew a lot about her. Or he was just an idiot talking out   
of his ass.  
Jay, oblivious to Raye's panic attack, continued. "The moon's   
nothing but gray rock and a few leftover golf balls. I want to see   
if there was really life on Mars, and figure out if there were all   
oceans and rivers and crap. See, after I saw 'Total Recall' I figured…"  
  
Raye didn't hear anything after that, because her communicator   
rang and stopped him mid-sentence.   
  
************  
  
"Why does he lock the door?" Zach asked, clearly irritated.   
Darien hid his smile behind the paper bag of food he was carrying.   
"He always has the GD door locked when I have my hands full…" He   
kicked the door to apartment 2C several times, leaving scuffmarks on   
the gray paint. "Jerk. Retard. YO MATT YOU TOOL!!!! OPEN THE DOOR!"  
The door swung open while Zach was in mid-kick, causing him to   
stumble and nearly drop his bag full of cheesesteaks.   
"Took you long enough," he grumbled. The person inside the   
apartment began rummaging through Zach's stash and pulling   
out wrapped sandwiches.   
"Did you get one without onions?"   
"Do you want to wait until I get through the door?" Zach   
snapped back.  
Darien stepped into the apartment behind him, feeling a bit   
awkward at meeting yet another person in the span of twenty-four  
hours. Those feelings were quashed when the new individual   
bear-hugged him and screamed, "You must be carrying the barbeque  
sauce! Oh I love you man!"  
Zach dropped his bag on the counter. "Sorry, man. Matt's a   
little wacked. Matt, this is Darien Chiba. Darien, Matt   
Haberman."  
Matt pulled back and started rummaging through Darien's bag,   
searching for the foresaid barbeque sauce. He was approximately Darien's   
height, with short brown hair and brown eyes, and when he grinned,   
holding the container of sauce up like a trophy, Darien's heart leapt  
in his throat for the second time that day. He had thrown roses at   
that smile before, with intent to kill.   
"Hey what's up?" Matt said, unwrapping a cheesesteak on the   
counter and pouring approximately a gallon of barbeque sauce on it.   
"I'm not wacked; just hungry. There is no, and I mean NO, food in   
this house. Take a look." He swung the refrigerator door open,   
revealing a few cans of Natural Ice, a bottle of A1, a stick of   
margarine, and a bottle of that pink-tasting cure-all, Pepto Bismol.   
Matt grabbed the A1, unscrewed the cap, and sniffed the rim. He   
nodded, obviously pleased by the freshness, and dumped it on the   
barbeque soup that was his sandwich. "Granted, I could have just   
drank all day and then I wouldn't have even remembered being hungry,   
but I have Art History this afternoon and I skipped it twice last   
week. Pull up a chair, Darien. Mi casa es su casa."  
Darien sat in one of the battered kitchen chairs and began   
loading condiments onto his cheesesteak. While Zach and Matt   
heatedly discussed who was using the most water that month and   
contributing to a gargantuan bill, Darien observed the apartment   
with the acuteness of a fire inspector. The room next to the living   
room/kitchen was completely occupied by a pool table that had   
probably survived some WWII conflict, judging by the scratches in   
the felt and surrounding wood. Some sort of stain, possibly beer,   
poured down one side of the green. Behind the table was an array of   
traffic signs, cones, and construction horses. The majority of the   
living room was taken up by two huge beige couches, which looked   
brand-new, in contrast to the horribly nicked coffee table. A TV sat  
on a sagging wooden cabinet, hooked to a Dreamcast like a life support  
system. A Playstation on sabbatical lay obediently on the floor,   
bound by its own controllers. A hallway branched off in between the   
kitchen and living room, undoubtedly leading to the bedrooms.   
"Well, you spend the longest time in the shower! I am going to  
flush every time I go!" Matt defended his right to flush through a   
mouthful of cheese and meat. "How'd you like Fresno's, Darien?"  
Darien hadn't realized he had inhaled the entire thing until he   
looked down at his plate and saw only loose sesame seeds. Zach leaned  
back in his chair and started laughing.   
"Hey, guess what? Darien's from Japan!" he said to Matt.   
Matt's eyes widened as he stuck a Camel in his mouth and searched his   
pockets for a lighter.  
"For real? What's it like-oh s***, later man! We have to be in   
class in ten minutes!"  
"Crap!" Zach barked, scooping up his books and tossing Matt the   
keys. "Hey, Darien, why don't you come over after class? We're   
having a pitch tournament and since Kevin has a history test tomorrow,   
we're short a player."  
"Yeah, sure," Darien agreed, concealing his enthusiasm.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. 4

Part 4 I hope  
*********************************************************  
  
  
Ok, before I start on anything, there are some mega-disclaimers   
that I forgot to mention. I don't own the following: Goshin and   
Ramsey Halls are the property of West Chester University. I don't   
own Hi-Liters, Febreeze, Pop-Tarts, J. Crew, Delta Zeta, Chevrolet   
Blazer, Ford Focus, Subaru Outback, Pepto-Bismol, A1 steak sauce,   
Sega Playstation, Sony Dreamcast, "Days of Our Lives," "Sex   
and the City," "Friends," "NYPD Blue," UPS, Natural Ice,   
Miller Genuine Draft, "The Ladies Man," Saturday Night Live,   
Katie Holmes and Sailor Moon. Bryce University is my creation.   
If there is an actual college with this name, then it is   
purely coincidental. I will add more as I think of it.   
**********  
  
A new roommate had been added to apartment 2C. Somewhere   
in the course of the day, Jay had asked her to move in with the   
four of them, and she had graciously accepted. Since then she had  
been waiting patiently in the truck of Kevin's car, until Jay   
remembered that she was there and brought her into the house,   
where she took her place directly above the TV.   
"Hello, beautiful," Jay hugged the wall and kissed Katie   
Holmes's feet. "Dump Pacey, baby, you need a real man." There   
had been an elaborate ceremony before the actual hanging of the   
poster occurred, containing discussion of where the new roommate   
should be placed, taking into consideration areas of heavy   
condensation (the bathroom) and glare (across from the window.)   
"And you need a real woman," Matt said calmly, taking the last   
drag off his Camel and stubbing it out.   
Jay dislodged himself from Katie Holmes and threw a nearby golf   
ball at him. "F*** you, dude. When's the last time you got some?"  
Matt smiled evilly, and Kevin knew what was coming. "Off of   
Crazy Kristen. Got your sloppy seconds."  
Jay jumped on Matt and they started wrestling on the floor.   
Zach stepped over them and stood in front of Katie. "Maybe if we   
got her laminated, we could put her in the bathroom," he suggested.  
Darien, who had been sitting on the couch next to Kevin, spoke   
for probably the first time that evening. "Why? So she can see you   
naked?"  
Everyone but Zach burst out laughing. "Wa-bang! Points to   
Darien!" Jay yelled with Matt's arm around his neck. He started   
giggling and lost his breath.  
"Britney Spears has to put up with enough of that in your   
bedroom!" Matt added between fits of laughter.   
Zach's face was maroon. "Britney likes seeing me naked."  
"Yeah, well, Katie won't like seeing you take a s***," Kevin   
gasped while he repeatedly pounded Darien on the back with enough   
force to rupture a vital organ. "Good one Darien, good one."  
Zach flipped everyone off with both hands and headed to the   
fridge. "Are we going to play or what? Who wants a beer?"  
"I'm going to start studying," Kevin said, plugging in the   
Playstation. "Give me one."  
Everyone else settled at the table while Kevin plunked down on   
the couch with a controller in hand. "We'll deal for partners,"   
Zach said, shuffling the deck. He dealt out preliminary cards.   
"OK, Darien, you're with me."  
"OK," he said, accepting his hand. I hope I don't make an   
ass of myself.   
"Darien, before we start, if you see Melman or the H-man rubbing  
their ring fingers or pointing to their chest, punch them in the face.  
That means they're trying to cheat."  
Jay rolled his eyes. "Yeah whatever! You invented those!"  
"OK, Darien, if you get stuck, you can ask Kevin. OK, Kevin?"  
"Yep," he replied, never taking his eyes off the TV.   
Darien picked up pitch with as much ease as Raye had the   
previous night. Wow. It's like I've played this before a million   
times. "Two bid, Kevin?" he asked, holding out his hand for Kevin   
to see.   
Kevin paused his game. "Yeah, def two. Possible three but   
you're just a beginner."  
"Two," Darien said, throwing out the ace of clubs. Zach threw   
out the two of clubs, Jay the seven, and Matt, with a disgusted look   
one his face, threw out the jack.  
"F***ing take it," he grumbled, while Zach yelled, "YES!" and   
shoved the hand towards Darien.   
Darien smiled; his amazing three-point capture enhanced the   
feeling of complete acceptance in the circle of friends. At   
the same time, something long asleep was tugging at him. It   
was more than déjà vu, he felt suddenly like he had been with   
these four guys his entire life, and had known no one else than   
them. His life back in Japan seemed farther away than ever: he   
felt like he had been born here, and had gone to school and   
camping and Little League practice with the four of them, and   
known nothing else. Even the pitch game was familiar: Matt and   
Jay always trying to cheat, Kevin "studying" in the next room,   
Zach throwing fits whenever he lost a hand. Darien himself felt  
he was the puzzle piece that brought the scene to completeness;   
the missing link in the somewhat twisted Norman Rockwell portrait   
of college buddies.   
"Got three in one trick," Kevin said from the couch. "Good job,   
Darien."   
Matt pulled out a fresh cigarette. "Hey Kevin, aren't you   
supposed to be studying or something?"  
"I am studying." His skateboarder fell attempting a Christ Air.   
"Damn."  
"No you're not, you're playing Tony Hawk and drinking all the   
beer."  
Kevin killed his second can. "I'll kick your ass."  
They dealt another hand. "So how's Amy?" Zach burst out eagerly,  
like he had been waiting to ask it all night. Suddenly, his face   
darkened and he reeled off and punched Jay as hard as he could in the   
arm. "Melman! Quit trying to cheat!"  
Jay feigned innocence. "What the f***, dude! I was just scratch  
ing my hand!"  
"Bulls*** you were! You're up two for that!"  
"Don't put us up!" Matt protested.  
Darien arranged his hand and waited for everyone to calm down.   
"Good," he said slowly, wondering what else he could say about Amy.   
"Yeah, how's Amy? Zach mentioned her like fifty times today."   
Matt exhaled a cloud. "Pass."  
"Is she the girl from cell bio? Pass." Jay said.   
"Yeah. I think she's studying with Lita tonight," Darien said.  
"Pass."  
Zach swore softly. "Why don't you just stick me, a-hole?   
Friggin' two. Who's Lita?"  
"Like, WWF Lita?" Matt asked. "That's my type of woman."  
"Your type of woman is taped above the TV," came from the living   
room.  
"Belles, don't make me kick your ass."  
"Bring it."  
"Well, she's kind of like both," Darien explained. "She's my   
girlfriend's roommate. She's ripped, for a girl, and tall, and could   
probably kick my ass, but she kind of looks like Katie Holmes with   
green eyes."  
Matt was all ears. "Well, bring her down."   
"Now?"  
"Yeah now, call her up," he ordered, shoving the phone at Darien.  
"See if she wants to drink a few beers with us. Ask your woman, too."  
"See if Amy wants to come," Zach spouted.   
"And Raye."   
"I think Raye and Mina have a DZ meeting tonight." Darien dialed  
Serena and Lita's dorm room.  
"Hello?" Serena answered on the first ring. The sound of sitcom  
laughter in the background testified that Lita was in the room and   
not studying with Amy as previously imagined.   
Darien gave Serena and Lita directions to the apartment. "Where's   
Amy?" he asked for Zach's benefit, knowing full well that Amy would   
never abandon a night of scholarly exercise for beer and pitch.   
"Well, DUH Darien where else? She has a test sometime next month  
and practically locked herself in her room to study. I couldn't even   
get her to go to dinner. We'll be there in fifteen."  
"Don't you have a test tomorrow too?"  
"Oh, uh, -yeah I'll get to that later." She hung up quickly.  
They finished the game, Matt and Jay winning by a small margin.  
"You cheated somehow, I know it," Zach grumbled, a little pissy since  
Amy wasn't coming down. Suddenly, he brightened. "Does Amy have a   
screen name?" he asked Darien.   
"Yeah, you want it?"  
"I'm going to see if she's online," Zach said, heading towards   
the bedroom that he and Kevin shared.   
They settled on various points on the couch. Darien sat next   
to Kevin, who instantly held out the second controller and asked,   
"Want to play tag?"   
"Sure," he accepted. They played (Kevin winning the majority   
of the time) and threw back a few until they heard a light knock on   
the front door, like the person who was knocking didn't want to hurt   
his/her knuckles.  
"Girl knock!" Jay shouted, leaping agilely over the coffee table  
and sloshing a wave of Keystone Light onto Kevin's lap. He sprinted   
towards the door and threw it open, his mojo smile already plastered   
on his face. "Hello, ladies!" he bellowed to a very surprised yet   
equally amused Serena. "Welcome to the Dawg House!"  
"Yo a**hole you spilled beer on me!" a very irate Kevin yelled   
in the next room. "Dammit I need these pants for tomorrow!"  
Darien stood up from the couch felt the room tilt. Squinting   
at the coffee table, he was blown away by the amount of empties   
covering the surface. Holy…did I drink that much? Serena's going   
to have my ass in a handbasket…or whatever. He joined Jay at the   
door. "Hi Serena."  
Serena stepped up next to him, totally bewildered. "Darien,   
are you drunk?" she asked gently in the most non-bitchy voice she   
could muster, even though she was up and ready to go postal on him.  
"No, not really. Just buzzed," he assured her. Serena looked   
a little skeptical, but nodded nonetheless.   
Lita popped in the apartment right behind her. She was eye   
level with Jay, who promptly hugged her from behind.   
"LITA! I've heard so much about you!" he shouted, squeezing   
her tighter. She started laughing with her entire body, her whole   
face smiling. Matt stared at the face-smile, and had the sudden urge   
to beat the piss out of Jay.   
"Have you?" she asked, trying to balance the arm that was   
gripping the potentially spilling beer.   
"YES! Darien told me what a hot chick you are! Wanna have a   
beer and go at it?" He raised his eyebrows and tried the Ladies' Man  
grin again, but this time it came out drunken and lopsided.  
She shrugged him off and headed for the couch. "No thanks,   
I'm the DD tonight," she said, sitting next to Matt, who frantically   
tried to rearrange himself into a more alluring position. Lita noticed   
his movement, and quickly ran a hand through her ponytail, cursing   
herself for not brushing her hair before she came. But how was I   
to know that this guy would be here? He looks like, well, he looks   
like Nephlite, obviously, OK, and that's more than a little freaky!   
But he's cute!   
"What, don't you like beer?" Jay howled, himself the only one   
that found it funny. He turned to Serena and hugged her too.   
"Hello, Serena. I'm Jay."  
"Hello, Jay," she giggled, looking to Darien for an explanation.  
"Nice to meet you."   
"Nice to meet you too."  
"You're Darien's woman, aren't you?" he said seriously, staring   
directly into her eyes.  
"Yep, you bet!"  
"Oh, Serena," he sighed. "You were supposed to save yourself   
for me!"  
"I was?"  
"Yeah! Dump Darien, he sucks at pitch and I can beat his ass.   
I'll take you to Vegas, baby, we'll have one hell of a time."  
"I do not suck at pitch," Darien pulled Jay off of Serena and  
tried to lift him in the air, but Jay twisted and got Darien down on   
the ground and attempted a Walls of Jericho. Matt jumped from the   
couch and joined in the melee, and executed a real submission move on   
both Jay and Darien.   
"OW! F***er bit me!" Jay yelped.  
"OK, kids," Kevin put down his controller and easily pulled   
everyone apart, despite his semi-inebriated state. "Hi, I'm Kevin,"   
he said, trying to look as dignified as he could with a giant beer   
spill on his crotch. "This loser is Matt," He pulled Matt up by one   
arm. "That's Zach," he pointed to Zach, who had just emerged from   
the hallway. He waved, as if on command. "And this is Jay," he said,  
stepping on Jay's neck.  
"Ughhh! Ass!" Jay grunted, grabbing Kevin's leg and tried to   
pull him down.   
"Hi, I'm Serena!" she chirped, flashing her sweetest smile.   
Kevin smiled back, and Jay knew that he was getting drunk. Kevin   
avoided smiling, for the most part, unless his rising blood alcohol   
level allowed him such extravagance.  
"We must drink!" Jay proclaimed once Kevin's New Balance had   
been removed from his neck. He ran to the fridge and came out with   
an armful of cans. "Serena?" He offered one out to her.   
"Thanks!" she said, popping it open and sitting down on the   
couch. Darien settled next to her, and wrapped his arm around her   
shoulders.   
"Uh, hon, should you really be drinking tonight? It is Tuesday,"  
he proposed mildly, feeling like the biggest hypocrite in the world.   
"Don't worry, Darien, I'm not going to get drunk!" He sighed   
and took another gulp of Keystone. How many times have I heard   
that before?   
***********  
Oh, HECK! Amy swore mentally in the nicest way possible.   
The room down the hall was throwing a party, for no particular reason  
other than it was Tuesday, in January, and nighttime. Music was   
blasting through the concrete walls, and someone knocked on her door   
loudly.   
"AAMYY!" someone yelled, and Amy smiled and opened the door.   
"Hi, Erin," she said, letting the other girl in.  
"AMES!" the tall brunette screamed, embracing Amy and jumping   
up and down simultaneously. "C'mon, you're going to party with us   
tonight. We've got a bottle of Jack we have to finish, and then   
we're going to outside to play Ultimate Frisbee! Well, only if   
everyone doesn't pass out first."   
Amy bit back the lecture of how playing Frisbee while under the   
influence in front of security guards could in some infinitesimal way  
lead to arrest, and instead pacified Erin by saying, "Oh, OK, I'll be   
down later. Just let me finish studying."  
"ALL RIGHT! YOU GUYS!! WE GOT AMY!!" Erin bolted out of the   
room and into the hallway, pleased by her new acquisition.   
Amy quickly shut the door and locked it the second Erin had run   
from the room. Oh my lord, they actually think I'm going to join   
them later! Oh well, they'll probably all pass out in an hour so I   
have nothing to worry about. Now, to get down to business… She   
fired up her computer and signed on. For the next hour, she delved   
into the functions of algae and fungus in medicine while the party   
down the hall moved into the elevator and then outside. Two minutes  
and counting until multiple arrests.   
She was in the middle of reading a very boring article when a   
box popped up in the corner of her screen. It was a message from   
someone named, "ZamboniS007."  
"What?" She clicked on it, curious, since it wasn't "Hot Slut,"  
or any of the usual sicko names that perverts used. It could very   
well be someone she knew, like the time she ignored messages from   
"TM KickA," for a week before she discovered that it was just Darien.   
The box expanded. "ZamboniS007: hi amy its zach from cell bio."  
"Oh," she exclaimed, heaving a sigh of relief a second before   
she was hit with nerves. What do I say to him? I HATE meeting new   
people.   
ZamboniS007: "whats up?"  
She typed: Aquamarine3: "Nothing much, just studying."  
ZamboniS007: "anything I can help you w/?"  
Aquamarine3: "Do you know anything about fungus?"  
ZamboniS007: "uh it grows in our shower"  
Amy let a small laugh slip out, and didn't bother to catch it.   
ZamboniS007: "are you starting that paper already? that's not   
due for awhile"  
Aquamarine3: "Yes, I know. I just want to get a head start on   
it."  
ZamboniS007: "I should really start it too aoi4wy5ytya859345"  
OK, what's going on? Is he schizophrenic or something?   
ZamboniS007: "sorry that was my a**hole roommate jay hes a little   
drunk"  
Aquamarine3: "That's OK."  
ZamboniS007: "dariens here too and so is serena and lita"  
Aquamarine3: "Really? What's going on?"  
ZamboniS007: "ok I think that serenas cut off for the night   
b/c she cant stop laughing, and Kevin my other roommate is supposed   
to be studying but hes on his eighth beer, and everyone else is   
playing drunkin Twister"  
ZamboniS007: "do you want to go the library or something and   
work on that paper? It sux when youre the only one whos not drunk…I   
need to study for my calc test anyway…do you know any calc? Could   
you help me?"  
Amy's stomach tightened as she weighed the pros and cons of   
meeting a Zoycite look-alike by her lonesome. Raye would definitely   
chew her out, that was for sure, but then again…  
"Raye isn't here," she smugly said to herself. Aquamarine3:   
"OK, why don't I meet you there in 10 minutes? Is that OK?"   
Back in the rather noisy apartment 2C, Zach was practically   
soiling himself with excitement. Holy crap THE beautiful Amy is   
going to meet up with me! ME! I suck! How did I pull this off? Damn!  
I can't wait! Where are my keys! OK, OK, so it's not like you can get  
really busy in a library, well, maybe you could…no! You can't! Stop   
thinking like Jay! He gave his shirt a preliminary sniff. Oh   
God, Straub, change your shirt! You smell like Matt's GD Camels. He skidded out of his chair and threw the closet door open, and began sifting through the hangers in a frenzy. "Kevin's, Kevin's, Kevin's, dammit!" he mumbled, throwing each shirt on the closet floor on top of already dirty laundry. GD! When is the last time I did laundry! Uhhh, wait! I did some yesterday!   
He hoisted the clean laundry basket over his head and dumped   
its contents on the bed, and began sifting through it with the   
intensity of a groundhog on crack. "F***ing A!" he screamed,   
wondering what the hell made him decide to wash sheets and towels   
yesterday instead of essential coverings for his body. They weren't   
even his sheets, either; they were Kevin's.   
"Unreal," he muttered, darting into the living room while   
ripping his dirty shirt off of his back. Jay, Serena, Lita and Matt   
were twisted into compromising positions on the Twister board, and   
Serena was giggling like mad. Darien was the caller, and Kevin had   
finally gotten around to history; he was using the book as a coaster   
while he played Playstation.   
"OOH! Yeah b**ch take it OFF!" Jay shouted from somewhere under   
Serena. "Where am I supposed to put my hand again?"  
"On my butt," said Matt, who had been strategically placing his   
hands and feet as close as Lita as possible.   
"Jay, do you have any clean shirts?" Zach asked, dashing back   
into the bathroom and shoving his head under the faucet.   
"Right foot green," Darien announced. Serena, who hadn't   
stopped giggling for the last hour, tried to move her leg and accidentally  
kicked Matt in the face. He slid sideways, crashing into Jay and   
collapsing the people pile, and ended lying on his back on top of   
Lita.   
"I'm so sorry!" Matt, suddenly sober, jumped up with a speed   
that would have rivaled Superman. Knocking Jay aside, ("OOF! A**hole!")  
he helped Lita to her feet. "Are you OK?"  
"Yeah I'm fine," she replied, locking eyes with him. Oh my   
GOSH!   
"A SHIRT! A SHIRT! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME A SHIRT THAT   
DOESN'T SMELL LIKE ASS!" Zach bellowed, whipping around the towel   
that he had been using to dry his hair off.   
"You can wear one of mine," Kevin yawned, stretching out on   
the couch.   
Zach almost spontaneously combusted. "Yeah thanks, dips***!   
You're only like three sizes bigger than me! Amy will think I'm   
retarded or something!"  
The Twister contestants and their host stopped laughing and   
stared at him like he had just announced that he needed a tuxedo to   
attend the Presidential inaugural ball. Kevin, who had been halfway   
to REM, lazily rolled over and murmured, "Yeah right."  
"No really! I told her I needed help with calculus and she's   
going to meet me in the library in ten minutes! And…. OH S***!"   
Halfway through his explanation, he had forgotten she was still   
waiting online for his answer. They watched as he ran into his   
bedroom, then seconds later ran into Jay and Matt's bedroom, and   
then emerged wearing a white American Eagle long sleeve T-shirt and   
ran into the bathroom. After a few seconds, he ran into the living   
room wearing a gray fleece vest and bearing a set of keys. "Kevin,   
I'm taking your car, OK? Thanks," he said as he ran out the front   
door.   
There was a few seconds of silence. "Sure, it has no gas,"   
Kevin said to the closed door.   
"Wait for it!" Jay said, and sure enough, they heard someone   
thumping up the stairs. Zach burst through the door in a fury.  
"KEVIN you're P.O.S. car has no GD gas in it!" Zach ran back   
into his bedroom and suddenly ran back out with a thick textbook   
under his arm. "Almost forgot my cover! Later!"  
"His what?" Lita asked after Zach slammed the door again and   
ran down the stairs.   
"Zach's full of it; he has a 98 average in calc," Matt   
explained, folding up the plastic Twister board and wondering what it   
would feel like to run his fingers through Lita's brown curls. "He   
probably just wants to get to know Amy better, and the easiest way to   
do that is to fake stupidity and play helpless."  
"AAAWW! That's so CUTE! And romantic!" Serena gushed, starry-eyed. "Oh, he KNEW that Amy would help him with math and then she'll fall for him and they'll be soooo happy!!!"  
"Hey big boy, can you help me with calc?" Jay breathed, sidling up  
to Darien and rubbing his chest with both hands. Darien swung at   
him and missed, the momentum throwing him off balance and pitching   
him forward. Jay caught him before he began to fall.  
"Whoa, Dar, why don't you stay here tonight? I don't think you  
can drive home." Jay offered. "You can have Kevin's bed, I think he's  
crashing on the couch tonight." Kevin was sprawled out on the couch,   
his eyes shut and his mouth hanging open and the history book stuck   
under one foot.   
"Stay here Mamo-chan! I don't want you getting in an accident,"  
Serena pleaded, her eyes glassy with alcohol and emotion. She hugged  
him tightly, and Darien hugged her back, trying not to look like she  
was supporting him, when in fact she was.   
"Sure, Serena. Could you and Lita stop by and feed the cats   
tomorrow morning?"  
"Of course."  
Matt turned to Lita, who was pulling on her coat. "You, uh,   
OK to drive? You can stay here too if you want." Please please   
stay here. You can use my toothbrush.   
"No, I'm OK," she said, throwing him another full-face smile.   
"I've got class really early, and if I stay over I'll probably end   
up skipping."  
"Why don't you come by on Friday? 4C's having a party and we're  
all going. You can crash here if you don't want to go home."  
Lita looked directly into his eyes, unintentionally giving Matt  
a near coronary. "Boy, you really want me to sleep over, don't you?"   
He blanched. "No, I didn't mean…I wasn't, um…" I am a dumbass.   
I am the King of Dumbasses. I make Kevin look like Rico Suave.   
She broke into easy laughter. "I'm just kidding. We'll be   
there."  
"Make sure you tell Raye," Jay interrupted. "See if she wants   
to come."  
"I'll make sure," Lita assured him. "Ready to go, Serena?"   
"Yep, just one second." She stood on her toes and planted one   
right on Darien. He broke it off after a moment.   
"See you tomorrow, hon," he said. Serena nodded silently and   
followed Lita out the door.   
They were halfway back to the dorms when Serena spoke. "What was  
wrong with Darien, Lita? He didn't kiss me as long as he   
usually does! Oh no do you think he's bored with me? Do you   
think he met someone else? Ohhhh, what if he doesn't like me   
anymooooore? Lita, what am I going to do I can't live…"  
"Serena! You're screaming!" Lita screamed. "Jeez, I need that   
ear…listen, hon, he was in front of all those guys, and, well,   
you know how they are."  
"How?" Serena threw optical darts out the window.   
"You know! Like, he didn't want to seem totally whipped. Then   
everyone would make fun of him. Honestly, you're making a   
mountain out of a molehill."  
"You think?" Serena sniffed. Lita smiled softly and touched   
her on the shoulder.   
"Of course I'm sure. I've been around guys long enough to know  
how they act when there's more than one Y chromosome in a room.  
Darien wants to be friends with those guys and he wants to   
impress them in stupid, masculine ways. Can you think of any   
other guys that he hangs out with?"  
"Well, no."  
"See? This is kind of a new experience for him, and you can tell  
he wants to have guy friends so they can watch football and   
drink beer or grunt a lot or whatever boys do for fun. I'm   
positive that he still loves you, he's just trying to make   
friends."  
Serena shut her eyes and tilted her head back. "Thanks Lita.   
You're the best."   
"Hey, I know."  
  
  
  



	5. 5

*************************************************************  
  
Part 5  
  
Ok, I know that part 4 sucked hardcore...I'm thinking this whole   
story is going to be mega-long! Uh, I don't own Sailor Moon,   
or any other familiar brand name in this story, but I don't   
want to list them all. All feedback is appreciated; tell me   
how much this rules or sucks ass, whatever.   
Venusorbit1@aol.com  
  
***********  
Raye's alarm rang at quarter to seven, before the sun   
even came up. Mina stirred under her covers in the darkness   
and instinctively reached for Artemis, who of course was not   
sleeping next to her in her bed but in a modified doggie bed   
in Darien's apartment. She could hear Raye getting up to turn   
off the alarm, and the earsplitting beeping stopped abruptly,   
leaving the earsplitting silence to pound away at her head.   
Raye clicked on the dim desk lamp, casting soft yellow light   
into the room. Mina moaned and squeezed her eyes shut against   
the intruding light, lest it hammer any more pain into her   
tortured skull.   
Raye knelt on the floor next to her bed and touched   
her friend's forehead gently. "Mina? How're you feeling?"  
"Like crap," came the muffled reply. She pulled her   
blanket down so that her eyes peeked out over the fleece. "My   
head hurts."   
Raye sighed, and ran a hand down her exhausted face. "I'll   
kill them, I swear, hon. The next time they show their ugly   
Negaverse faces I'll shove my foot so far up their asses that   
they'll be tasting red pump." She went over to the mini-fridge   
and pulled out a slightly cold water bottle, and gently placed   
it against the side of Mina's head. "Keep this here. It's not   
that cold but it'll help, I guess. I'll bring back some ice   
after class, OK?"  
Mina nodded once and closed her eyes again. Her head   
throbbed so hard she felt sick to her stomach, thanks to a certain   
Negaverse cretin who had kicked her while she was down. A   
youma had attacked last night, outside the dining hall, a weak,  
stupid one made out of a disposable napkin holder. They had   
easily defeated it; the pitiful excuse for a monster had barely  
even learned how to attack with rolls of scratchy, cheap napkins  
before Mars incinerated the entire thing with one shot, leaving  
a charred metal box on the ground. Sailor Moon had just turned  
to suggest that they grab some Cookie Crisp before hitting   
Thirsty Thursday at Delta Chi when Venus was thrown forward on   
her face, stunned, knocked down by one of Jedite's energy blasts.  
She had lain there on the ground, paralyzed, scared, while   
Jedite held her down with his boot.   
"Let her go, you...you soon to be dead piece of trash!"   
Jupiter raged, readying herself for attack.   
"Or what Sailor Brat?" Zoycite jumped out of a tree and  
deftly landed next to Jedite, smirking, and shoved his boot on   
Venus as well. "You can't hit us without hitting your leader   
too, Mars, so I'd think twice before I started shooting fireballs  
left and right."  
Mars lowered her hands, her rage so palpable it was a   
wonder that the two Dark Kingdom generals didn't explode into   
smoking pieces like cartoons did. Sailor Moon chose that   
precise moment to throw a kindergarten-grade hissy fit.  
"What do you MEAN, our leader? I'm the leader, not Venus."  
She stomped her foot for emphasis. "Let her go or you're   
moondust, Nega-dweeb!"  
Jedite rolled his eyes dramatically. "What is it with   
all this Negaverse crap? We are the DARK KINGDOM, Sailor Sluts,  
get it right. Or do you need me to spell it for you?"   
"For your information, dumbass, Mercury found that your   
kingdom exists in negative space, so we started calling...wait,   
never mind! Get off of her unless you want to meet your maker!"   
Her trembling voice was not at all intimidating.   
"Shabon Spray!" Mercury, fed up with all the meaningless   
trash-talking, took matters into her own hands and enveloped the   
area in fog.   
"Cute, Mercury," Zoycite snarled, firing a barrage of   
ice crystals in the direction of where he remembered Mercury to   
be. "Very noble of you to try and annoy us to death."   
Venus groaned on the ground, her entire body still   
aching from the dark energy coursing through it, and tried to   
lift her hands so at least she could take advantage of her   
situation and blast the jerks from below where they least   
expected it. I'll take out their balls! She was scared,   
no, terrified, since she had never actually been on the receiving   
end of a hostage situation, and without full use of her voluntary  
muscles, she was completely defenseless. Please, please,   
girls. Do something. She would have cried from panic, but   
she would not, could not. What good were tears when the safety  
of the princess depended on her?   
"Oh I don't think so." Zoycite noticed her movement and  
swiftly connected his boot with her head. She yelped, like an   
injured animal, and Mars screamed with rage.   
"We have to do something! Why are we just standing   
here?"  
Mercury assessed the situation through her visor. "Mars,  
it's up to you."  
"WHAT?"  
"Your Flame Sniper is the closest in accuracy next to   
Venus's Love Chain. You have the best chance of hitting them   
and not Venus."  
"Thank you! Finally!" She aimed up carefully the most   
important shot of her life. "Flame Sniper!"  
A red rose joined the flaming arrow mid-flight, and   
side-by-side they closed the distance between the Senshi and   
the generals. Jupiter held her breath, certain that this would  
be the day that they toasted two of the generals and evened the   
score, but the two men vanished at the last second and the   
lethal combination slammed into a nearby tree, leaving a rather  
nasty, flaming gouge. Tuxedo Mask leaped off the lamppost,   
hung suspended in the air, and landed next to Venus. He   
carefully took her into his arms and laid her head on his lap.  
"Venus! Are you all right?" Behind his mask, his eyes   
were two slits of worry. The other girls caught up and surrounded  
their fallen friend.  
"Oh God! Venus, say something!" Mars pleaded, brushing   
blond hair out of her best friend's face.   
Venus lay there and wished they'd all just stop talking;  
their voices drilled into her head like a jackhammer. She   
swallowed and wished she were back home, in Japan, in her   
yellow and pink bedroom, in her own bed. "I'm OK," she croaked  
without opening her eyes. She heard Mercury tapping the   
keyboard of her computer at a record pace. You could be a   
stenographer, Ames, they start you at forty grand. Ow,   
thinking hurts. No wonder Serena doesn't do it that often.   
"She'll be OK," Mercury declared. "Just a minor   
concussion, no signs of hemorrhaging. She needs to rest,   
though."  
Darien must have carried her back into her room, and   
Raye must have changed her clothes, because she woke up in   
sweats and not in the jeans and sweater she had been wearing   
that night. She immediately zonked out while Raye showered   
and dressed.  
"Mina," Raye shook her arm, waking her up. "I'm going   
to class now. Do you want anything besides ice?"  
"Tylenol. No, sorry, Demerol," she mumbled under the   
covers.   
"How 'bout some crack? I'll buy it from that burnout   
downstairs." She gently whacked Mina on the butt. "All right,   
if you need anything, call my cell. Amy's going to stop by   
later and check on you, OK? I hope you feel better, hon, bye!"   
She gently shut the door behind her. Mina stayed awake for   
about twenty seconds after she left, and then drifted off;   
unaware that her last thought before she fell asleep was of   
the Silver Millennium.  
************  
"Raye!" Raye stopped and turned at the sound of Lita's  
voice. "Wait up!"  
Lita had obviously overslept; she was sporting windpants  
and a hat, and not a touch of makeup. Half of a Bryce University  
College of Culinary Arts key chain stuck out of the front flap   
of her book bag, obviously from a Lita-like stuff and run.   
She held a Styrofoam cup of steaming coffee without a lid, and   
tried her best not to spill it as she trotted alongside of Raye.  
"How's Mina feeling? Is she OK? Boy, what I wouldn't give to   
be alone in a room with Zoycite right now..."  
"I know," Raye agreed, fumbling in her coat pocket for   
a pair of gloves. "Damn it's cold! I hate these eight o' clock   
classes!"  
"Damn right," Lita said, blowing on her coffee, which   
served the dual purpose of waking her up and warming her hands.  
"Is she going to skip class?"  
"Who? Mina? Probably. I wouldn't go to class if I had   
a concussion."   
"Yeah, like Dr. Eicher would let you skip math," Lita   
smirked, taking a careful sip of her coffee and burning her   
tongue nonetheless. "OW! And you wouldn't go to class if you   
had a zit."  
Raye's jaw dropped open like a hinge. "I wasn't about   
to let that hot rugby player see me with that volcano on my   
forehead! And that was only one time; you must be confusing me   
with Serena."  
They half-ran, half-walked the rest of the way to the   
Technology Center, relishing the blast of hot air that greeted   
them inside the building and defrosted their numb fingers and   
runny noses. Running up three flights of stairs to their   
classroom in record time, Lita slopped coffee all over her   
bare hands. "Oh, NUTS! Raye, do you have a tissue or something?  
My hands are gonna get all sticky."  
Raye wasn't paying attention to Lita's plight; instead   
she muttered, "What are they doing here?"   
Lita looked up from her java-soaked hands to the   
classroom doorway, which was blocked by a flock of girls.   
She didn't recognize any of them at first, but when Raye   
regally lifted her head and straightened her back, giving   
herself a more daunting air than usual, she identified them   
as a group of girls that lived in Goshin Hall with Raye and   
Mina, and had been dubbed by the two as the "Seventh Floor   
Bitches." The girls had decided that they hated Raye and Mina   
after the male population of Goshin had started migrating   
towards the second floor instead of the seventh, where the   
aptly dubbed bitches resided, and had tried to redirect the   
Y chromosome flow by spreading extremely false and highly   
unbelievable rumors about Ms. Aino and Hino. There were five   
main bitches; all loved tight black pants and heavy blush,   
despite the fact that they had, as Lita put it, "...Asses and   
faces as round as pumpkins, and not nearly as appetizing."   
They spoke at volumes that were hazardous to the human ear,   
and were prone to high-pitched squealing and giggling that   
Serena herself would not be able to reproduce. They were   
also notorious sluts.  
They were crowding the doorway of the classroom, so   
Lita entered first, pushing their round bodies away like a   
tank. "Sorry, didn't see you there," she sneered, then   
whispered to Raye, "Yeah, right, like that's possible."  
The algebra professor was late, so they had a few  
minutes to screw around before class started. The Seventh   
Floor Bitches took seats directly behind Lita and Raye, and   
almost immediately Kristen Hayes, the most obnoxious of all   
the bitches, began unwisely running her mouth. "Hey Ashley,"  
she poked the bleach blonde with her fluorescent pink gel-pen.  
"Are we going to Boris St. tonight? Jay Melman invited us up,  
and he said he really wants to see me there."  
Lita glanced over at Raye, but girl's face was as   
unreadable as their algebra book. She pursed her lips together,  
hoping she possessed the necessary the self-restraint to keep   
herself from turning around and punching Kristen in the face if  
she said anything about Raye. Not that Raye couldn't hold her   
own, but she was heavily outnumbered, and Lita would be more   
than happy to take on more than one bitch at one time.   
The girl Ashley was sitting right behind Raye "Oh God!   
Are you guys back together or what?"  
Kristen talked not to Ashley but to the back of Lita's   
head. "I have a feeling that we're going to hook up tonight.   
He still wants me, bad, he called my room like three times   
yesterday."  
Ashley sighed into Raye's hair. Lita noticed a   
microscopic twitch below Raye's eye, but other than that, there  
was no indication that she was even slightly fazed.   
"Kristen, you are SO lucky! He is SO hot!"  
"I know. Aren't you glad he's back with me and not   
with some foreign exchange student?" Kristen talked directly   
to Raye's head.   
Lita clenched her hands together so tightly that her   
fingernails left half-moon impressions in her palms. "Please,   
please, please," she hissed across the aisle to Raye. "Let me   
hit them. Just once. Right in the middle of all that Maybelline  
makeup."  
"Shh," Raye whispered back once the professor entered   
the room. But for the next hour, the mental picture of beating  
the living crap out of Kristen Hayes was stuck in repeat mode   
in her head.  
**********  
"Ooh, let's get a bagel!" Serena pleaded while passing   
Lola's Café, undoubtedly her favorite place in the entire world,   
due mostly to their Death by Chocolate sundaes and   
ham-and-egg-on-a-croissant sandwiches. "PLEASE!! We   
have time, Amy!"  
Amy glanced at her watch and realized that Serena   
was right; they had a good forty-five minutes until their respective   
classes. "Well, sure, I won't mind. I could use some cappuccino,   
anyway." More for the caffeine than anything else. I can't   
believe I was online all night with Zach. He had spent at least   
two hours trying to convince her to come to Boris St. that night,   
citing everything from, "All your friends are doing it," to "Do it for   
me as a personal favor," to "I have a fatal neurological disease,   
and if I'm ever unhappy it will flare up and kill me." Finally, after   
hardcore groveling on all levels, Amy promised she would stop   
by, even though she hated parties. Well, it won't be so bad if   
all my friends are there, will it?   
"YAY!" Serena squealed, yanking the door open and   
practically leaping inside. Lola's was a quaint little eatery with   
dark wood floors and booths, and brass coat hooks stuck on every   
available inch of wall. The countertops were also wooden, but the  
stools were glistening chrome. One always had a feeling of comfort   
in the place, despite its antique floors and booths. It was almost   
always dim, and large, framed photography covered the dark green   
walls. The photographs were rotated every month, and were usually   
taken by local artists or students in the art department. This month,   
they were black and white shots of students on the campus.   
"Mmm," Serena breathed, inhaling the scent of cinnamon   
and coffee. Lola's lunch crowd still lingered, almost every booth   
and table was occupied. Amy was about to suggest they come   
back later when Serena squealed, "Darien!" and made a beeline to   
a booth in the back. Amy followed, shaking her head and hoping   
that Darien had the necessary funds to satiate Serena's appetite.  
"Hey girls," Darien smiled, sliding down to make room for   
Serena. Kevin sat on the other side, and he also moved down for   
Amy, who was halfway mental at the thought of sitting next to a stranger.   
"Hi Kevin!" Serena chirped, taking a big sip of Darien's   
soda. "What's up?"   
"Nothing, what's up?" he replied, offering one of his French   
fries to Amy, who politely shook her head.   
"No thanks, I'm just going to get some coffee."  
"What are you up to, girls?" Darien asked, throwing a look   
to Serena, who smiled sheepishly with the now-empty glass in her hand.   
"Oh, we just had a break between classes and decided to grab   
some lunch," Amy said, picking up a menu. She didn't have it memorized   
like Serena did.  
Raymond, the cook and co-owner of Lola's, appeared at Serena's   
elbow. He knew almost every customer inside out, and never forgot a   
face, no matter how many years. He had shared the same amount of   
laughs and tears with them, and they were "his kids," as he liked to call  
them. "Hey Sweetie! Long time no see!"  
"Hi, Raymond," Serena said with a grin. She had become one  
of Raymond's favorites ever since she first tasted his meatball sandwich   
and gave it such rave reviews that the old, mustached man had tears in his   
eyes. "Silly, you just saw me last week! I came to try the candy cane milkshake!"  
"A week? Exactly!" He hugged her around the shoulders and   
winked at Darien. "A week is a long time for Serena to stay away from this   
place!"  
She blushed as Amy and Darien laughed good-naturedly. Kevin   
simply blinked, unaware of Serena's food fetish. Raymond nodded at him   
next.  
"Hey Kev, how's the shoulder? We gonna beat Coast Ridge next   
year or what? My neighbor, Louie, all he talks about is that quarterback   
boyfriend of his tramp daughter, how many yards he threw for and all that!   
You gotta show him a thing or two!"  
"It's doing better, Mr. Angelo. We'll get them next year, I promise."  
"What! WHAT! What's with all this 'Mr. Angelo'?" Raymond   
roared, his chubby face swelling so much he resembled an Italian puffer fish.   
"Call me Raymond; Mr. Angelo is my father! Jeez, you kids! I had this one,"   
he gestured towards Serena, "calling me Mr. Angelo-san for two months! Eh,   
Sweetheart?" he elbowed her and smiled.  
"Yep."  
"What'll it be Sugar? Is there anything on the menu you didn't try   
yet?"  
"Um, let's see, I think I'll have the Chicken Angelo and hot chocolate."  
"Ah! The Chicken Angelo! And how 'bout you, Sweet Pea? Anything?"  
"Just coffee please," Amy replied. "Thank you."  
"Raymond don't make just coffee! How 'bout some pie, it's fresh   
outta the oven, you'll like it."  
"OK," she agreed, even thought she wasn't that hungry. Oh well,  
Serena will probably eat it for me.   
Raymond threw his dishrag over his wide shoulder and disappeared   
into the back. Darien started drinking out of Kevin's glass. "So are you guys   
coming tonight?"  
"You bet! Oh, and guess what! Amy's coming too!"  
"Oh really?" He raised his eyebrows and smiled at her. "Did   
someone talk you into it?"   
"Yes, Zach did," Amy said softly, swiveling around and pretending  
to look for Raymond.   
Kevin smiled behind his napkin. "Is Mina coming? Did you talk to   
her?" OK, God, I've never asked for anything more than a mountain bike   
and a crappy 8-bit Nintendo. Give me this, please!   
Serena, Darien, and Amy froze, frantically trying to come up with a   
cover story that would make the most amount of sense. Amy threw one out   
when she spotted Serena opening her mouth to deliver an undoubtedly   
improbable explanation. "Oh, I don't know, she slipped in the shower this   
morning and hit her head. We think she has a concussion."   
Kevin's gray eyes sharpened with concern. "Is she OK? Did you   
take her to the hospital?"  
"Well-" Serena began.  
"Yes," Darien kicked her under the table. "Yes, we did. And  
she's going to be fine, she just has to rest."  
Kevin stared into space for a second, and Serena spotted her   
opportunity like a running back sees an opening in the defensive line.   
"You know, she's really bummed out about not being able to go. I bet it would   
really make her day if someone would stop by before the party and bring her  
some ice cream. She likes banana."  
He looked at her a second, so intensely that Serena was almost frightened.   
She imagined for a second to be on the receiving end of an unreserved glare of  
his, and internally she quaked. "That's a little transparent." He smiled warmly,   
and the adrenaline drained from her body. "Sure she wouldn't mind?"  
"NO!" Serena squeaked, still a bit unnerved. "Of course not!" She   
made a mental note to stop by and persuade Mina to shower and dress, or   
at the very least brush her teeth. Darien and Amy sighed.  
Raymond reappeared with a tray. "There you go, Love!" he   
trumpeted, placing a plate in front of each girl. Serena's eyes lit up like   
birthday candles at the mound of whipped cream and chocolate shavings   
capping her hot chocolate.   
"Raymond, you're the best!" She grabbed her fork and stabbed   
into her chicken, potato, and cheese combination.   
"Hey, Kev, you should see how many girls have been asking for  
the phone the phone number of a few particular boys in a photograph!   
Gods, if I knew those pictures would be such a hit I would have let that   
goofy hippie hang them in here months ago!" He chuckled, his beefy arms   
and stomach shaking.   
Kevin reddened to the color of Amy's cherry pie, which she had   
decided to eat after all, and was enjoying. He mumbled something, and   
Serena asked, "What picture?" around a mouthful of food."The one hanging   
next to the door! I bet this one noticed it, eh?" He elbowed Amy, who   
smiled and also turned red. "HAHA! You kids!" he snorted, wandering   
to another table.   
"I want to see!" Serena announced, jumping up and making   
a beeline to the door. They followed her, Kevin rather reluctantly.   
"Oh wow!" The picture was big, about 15" by 18", standard   
black and white. Kevin, Jay, Matt and Zach were crowding the view screen,   
shirtless, covered in dirt and grass, their faces frozen in varying degrees of   
male enthusiasm. Matt had a dirty football raised in the air. "Hmm," Serena   
said at the sight of all those exposed, rippling boy muscles.  
"This is typical," Kevin remarked, pointing to Jay, who had made   
sure to flex his bicep for the photograph.   
"Really?" Serena replied absent-mindedly, staring at the abundance   
of six-packs in front of her. Darien noticed and cleared his throat loudly.  
"I didn't know you had a tattoo, Kevin," Amy said about the tribal   
design encircling his enormous right bicep.   
"Yeah, my mom almost killed me when she saw it. Jay has one on   
his back, you just can't see it in this picture."   
"Hey," Serena said, moving closer. "Doesn't that guy look like   
you, Darien?" She pressed her finger against the glass, leaving a greasy   
fingerprint on the face of a passerby in the background.   
Darien squinted and moved closer. He recognized the haircut,   
battered book bag, and sunglasses immediately. "Uh, yeah, Serena, that is me."  
"Really?" she squealed, shoving herself in front of the picture.   
"Ohmygosh! It IS you, hon!"  
"Oh wow that's...unusual," Amy observed. "Who would have   
suspected that the four of you would meet and become friends?"  
"Huh," Kevin grunted, staring at the picture of him and his friends.   
It was eerie, that a picture taken in late August would reflect their lives now.   
Darien was walking towards the posing guys, like he had been heading   
there all along. It just took him a few months to get here.   
  
************  
  
Mina had been watching silently as Raye brutally ripped   
a brush through her ink-black hair, pulling out the tangles with such   
ferocity that Mina wondered why they hadn't been able to defeat the   
Negaverse, or at least kick one of the general's asses by now. Raye   
had come home in a bad mood, which was not unusual, but the tiniest   
of disturbances, like the dining hall being too crowded and the cap of her  
lotion bottle breaking, sent her into an El Nino-like tirade that dissuaded   
Mina from practically breathing, much less saying a word. She could   
almost see the ripples of heat across her friend's skin, flowing like lava,   
which always appeared when she was Sailor Mars. She's a fiery one,   
Jay. Good luck. She had run into Jay the previous day on the street,   
and he had reminded her that they were supposed to stop by that night  
and to tell Raye hi.  
"DAMMIT!" Raye shouted, launching her black pants into   
the dirty laundry basket, which subsequently tipped over from   
the impact and spilled its contents onto the floor. Mina cringed,  
but didn't say a word.   
The door opened, and Serena, Lita and Amy let themselves   
in. Serena and Amy carried book bags, their zippers opened partially  
for ventilation for two particular dorm-forbidden cats.   
"Serena don't you ever KNOCK!" Raye shrieked, fiercely   
yanking drawers open and ferociously rummaging through them.   
Serena dropped her book bag on Mina's bed none too gently,   
prompting an "OW!" from the occupant inside. "What's up your butt?"   
she said, pulling off her coat and looking in the mirror. "Mina, do   
you think I should leave my hair down or pull it up?" She, Raye,   
and Serena had hacked off a good three feet of hair before coming   
to America, and sometimes Mina would still run her fingers through   
her much-shorter hair and feel naked without the added length. She  
had let it grow to mid-back, a little longer than Raye's, and Serena   
had gotten scissor-happy and cut it just below the shoulders. She  
had stopped wearing the odangos once she started college, but they   
always spontaneously appeared when she transformed into Sailor   
Moon, just as Mina's retired red bow reappeared on Venus's head.   
Lita had discovered in high school that her hair was naturally curly,   
and she let it fall down her back in glossy ringlets instead of forcing   
it straight with a round brush and hair dryer. As was the case with  
the other three, her hair pulled up into a familiar ponytail when she   
transformed.   
Luna slipped out of the open book bag, gasping for air.   
"Ugh! Serena practically had that bag zipped shut; I was suffocating."  
"Yeah? Well it's better than sharing a bag with Amy's laptop!"   
a muffled voice cried from inside Amy's bag. Amy unzipped it dutifully,   
and Artemis leapt out and jumped onto Mina's lap, panting. "How are   
you feeling?" he asked, rubbing his head against her shoulder. She   
smiled and hugged him.   
"Just a slight headache. I'm feeling much better, but Amy  
says I should take it easy tonight."   
Amy pulled out her laptop and knelt on the floor. "Quick   
Senshi meeting, you guys," she announced, opening her computer   
and rapidly punching the keys. "We have a bit of a mystery on our   
hands."  
Raye stopped hunting for clothes, Mina slid off the bed,   
and the gathered in a circle around Amy. Lita stood up and shut   
the door. "OK, Ames, what's up?"  
"I took this picture of Zach a few night ago," she said, and   
a picture of Zach's face slid over half the screen.   
"That's pretty close, Amy!" Serena laughed. "Were you   
two getting cozy?"  
Amy took a breath and blushed. "I was just helping him with   
his calculus, we had to sit close together. Besides, my computer DOES   
have a zoom lens."  
"Yeah, I'm sure," Lita snickered, elbowing Raye, who   
was sitting shamelessly in her underwear.   
Amy ignored them all. "Anyway, I took this picture," she   
hit another key and an unfortunately familiar face popped up, "last night."   
Lita began popping her knuckles at the sight of Zoycite's face. "Now  
I believe in your zoom lens, Amy. There's no way you'd get that close   
to that Nega-creep."  
Mina rubbed the place on her head where Zoycite had kicked her the previous night. "When did you have time to take this one?"  
"When he was kicking you."  
"Oh."  
"Well, back to the subject," Amy continued. "Watch what   
happens when I lengthen Zach's hair." She tapped the mouse. "And   
age him by five or six years, and take away his glasses, voila!"  
Serena gasped, and Mina's stomach turned to a block of ice.   
The two faces on the screen were identical, except that Zoycite's eyes   
were as flat and evil as a serpent's, while Zach's remained warm and   
friendly. His face was innocent, without a trace of the malevolence that   
covered Zoycite's face. There was something else, something familiar   
that Serena couldn't place.   
"Oh my friggin God!" Lita breathed. "That is unreal."  
"But Darien was with Zach last night," Luna said. "He was slightly   
embarrassed when he ran out of their apartment after he got the call. He   
said he was with Zach all evening."  
"So unless Zach travels faster than Tuxedo Mask, which isn't likely,   
then he and Zoycite are two individuals," Raye said, absently scratching  
Artemis's head. "So why the hell do they look exactly alike?"  
Amy clicked again, and a birth certificate filled the screen, complete   
with little baby ink footprints. "I don't know. Here's Zachary Elias Straub's   
birth certificate, hospital records, driver's license, and..." she dramatically   
punched another key, "high school yearbook photo. Zach Straub is a   
normal human being, and there's no explanation as to why he looks so   
much like Zoycite."  
And the other three," Raye said slowly. "They look like the   
Generals, too. But they're not. I don't sense any evil in them."  
"What about the Moonlight Knight?" Lita suggested. "Could   
the Dark Kingdom Generals be a part of their soul, or something?"  
"No," Amy said, typing again. "The Dark Kingdom Generals have   
vital signs; they are actual physical beings, while the Moonlight Knight   
was a nothing more than a spirit. We could touch him, he could be tangible  
matter, but he had no heartbeat, body temperature, brain waves, catch my drift?"  
"Yeah," Mina said. "And the Moonlight Knight always   
went back into Darien's body. The Generals go back to Beryl and the Negaverse."  
Serena frowned and fingered her brooch, which she wore constantly   
regardless of the occasion. She hated not knowing all the answers, not   
knowing what to tell her friends when they looked to her for guidance. "I wish   
I could ask my mother," she said. It was acknowledged that she didn't mean   
her mother back in Japan, but Queen Serenity.   
Raye sighed and stood up. "We're never going to figure this out,"   
she said, opening the wardrobe and thumbing through. "Mina, if you're not   
going out, can I wear this?" She held up a gold tank top and diaphanous gold   
button-down shirt.   
"Yeah sure," Mina replied, crawling back in bed. Serena dropped  
Luna on the floor and began sifting through Raye's makeup case.   
"Mina, uh, I bet you would feel a lot better if you took a shower!"   
she suggested, swiveling a tube of lipstick up.   
"Why? I'm not going out?" she yawned, curling Artemis to her.  
Serena put the lipstick down and turned to face her. "Uh, um,   
because you kinda stink, too!"  
Lita made a face. "Serena!"  
"Do I?" Mina asked, sniffing her collar.   
"I don't smell any-oof!" Serena shot across the room and   
clapped Artemis's mouth shut.   
"Oh don't worry Mina! We all get kinda ripe when we don't   
shower all day! Right Amy?" She threw a look to Amy.  
"Uh, right," Amy said, looking down quickly.   
"Why don't you take a nice, hot shower, and you'll feel   
tons better! Here's a towel, go ahead!"  
Mina shrugged. "Might as well." She gathered up towels,   
a bathrobe, and her shower caddy. "I'll just be a few minutes."  
"My gosh, Serena!" Raye snapped after Mina had left.   
"Could you possibly be a little more offensive? Why don't you just   
tell her she's ugly, too?"  
"Raye! You don't understand! Kevin's going to stop by and   
see her and what kind of friend would I be if he walks in and she's sitting here with bed hair and morning breath!"  
Lita sucked her breath in. "OK, good call, Serena. That was  
justified."  
"Why do you think Zoycite said that Mina was our leader?"   
Raye said, pulling on stretchy brown flare pants. "He told me not to   
fire at him or I would hit out leader."  
"Yeah! And I'm the leader!" Serena said emphatically. "Right,   
Luna?"  
"I presume. I don't see why Venus would be the leader of the   
Sailor Senshi and not Sailor Moon."  
"Don't you remember, Luna?" Lita asked, smoothing her hair   
down.  
"I remember as much of the Moon Kingdom as you four do."  
"Which is almost nothing," Raye concluded, flipping her head   
upside down to brush her hair. "OK, next dead end, please."  
Mina returned from the shower shortly after. "You're right,  
Serena, I do feel better!" She unwound the towel from her head and released   
her wet locks.   
"Here!" Serena said, holding up a clean pair of pink pajamas.   
"You look really cute in these! Did you brush your teeth or what?"  
Lita guffawed loudly, and Raye smacked her with a t-shirt that was   
lying on the floor. Mina looked at each of her friends, and then the cat guardians.   
"What's going on, guys? It's not like I have a hot date or something."   
Serena forcefully laughed. "What are you talking about, Mina? I   
just thought you'd feel better if you cleaned yourself up. Flip over," she   
instructed, pointing the stream of hot air at the crown of Mina's head. Mina   
bent over obediently, letting her sodden blond strands fall around her face.   
Serena blew them dry, fluffing periodically with her fingers with the sureness   
of a hairstylist or a mother.   
"There!" Serena proclaimed, whipping Raye's hairbrush through   
the thick blonde mass like she was beating eggs. Wow, Mina's hair is so  
much lighter than mine. Maybe I should get highlights.   
Mina settled back into bed, her recently un-greased hair flowing over   
her yellow pillowcase and hanging off of the sides of her bed. She hated   
Zoycite more than ever at the moment; the anticipation of seeing Kevin that   
week had twisted her nerves and toyed with her imagination, until she would   
spent entire classes staring into space, imagining platinum eyes staring at   
her with shimmering heat from the desert. The Mina of her imagination was   
brighter, wittier, captivating, the kind of girl that could capture a man's heart   
and hold it in her hands like a precious jewel. She wished she could shine   
brighter than the sun and intrigue him with brilliance, blocking out other   
people the way the noontime daylight hid the electric beam of a flashlight.   
Or at least go five minutes without saying something stupid and then   
bursting into giggles. She wanted his mind to be on her, and hers on him,   
until their separateness disappeared and they knew each other as well as   
they knew themselves. She wanted to touch him, envelop him with her   
essence, suffocate him with her skin and scent and hair, drink the heat   
off his lips like water.   
Oh my God Mina get a grip you've known him for like a week.   
"Shut up brain," she mumbled to herself. "I know something you   
don't."  
Meanwhile, Lita was pacing around the small room, her long stride   
covering half the floor space in one step. She tugged at the hem of her shirt,  
wanting to be slim and petite like Serena and not a curvy, hulking giant who   
had to special order pants and pull down her shirts all the time because the   
torso was too short. "You guys? Do you think I should wear this?" she said,   
voicing her insecurities. She was only a few inches shorter than Matt; if she   
could chop off inches of her height for one night, she would have done so without   
hesitation. Maybe I'll just get really wasted, and then I won't care.   
Amy looked away from the mirror for a second. "No, it looks good, Lita.   
Keep it."  
Raye, who was midway through smearing foundation on her face with her   
palm, ("Not like that, Raye! Use a sponge!" Mina scolded.) noticed Amy trying to   
smooth a few stray hairs down with de-frizzing cream. Wait a second! "Amy!"   
she shouted, startling the small blue-haired girl into dropping the tube of Physique.   
"When did you start using hair crap?"   
Lita jerked out of her self-esteem rut and elbowed Amy in the ribs.   
"Hey, Ames, gonna look all pretty for a certain guy? Ooohhh!"  
"No I just-" Amy began, her genius mind choking in the face of such   
opposition. How can I be so quick to solve a problem but be such a bad   
liar?   
"AMY!" Serena screeched. "Let me do your, makeup, puh-leeeeze?"   
"Well," Amy began, rather frightened at the sight of Serena brandishing   
an eyelash curler in front of her. "I guess. Don't make me look too weird   
though. I really don't wear a lot of-"   
She ended up wearing a lot, even though it didn't look like a lot since  
Serena had perfected an art known as "blending," a skill that had bypassed   
the Seventh Floor Bitches. She carefully touched one eyelid, wondering if the   
specks of iridescent glitter were too much. "Do I look OK?" she asked   
tentatively. Serena smiled and hugged her.   
"You look awesome! Zach is going to piss himself when he sees   
you!"  
Raye rolled her eyes. "Now THAT'S a wonderful analogy. Are you  
guys almost ready to go?" She pulled on her camel-colored peacoat and   
slid into her shoes. "We have to drop off the cats, too."  
"I'll stay here with Mina," Artemis offered. Mina smiled and was   
about to accept when Serena grabbed him by his ruff and stuffed him in the   
Jansport.   
"No, I think she needs to rest tonight, OK Artemis?" Serena breathed   
hurriedly, zipping the bag despite muffled protests and swearing. "You get   
better, OK, Mina? We need you at that EKE mixer tomorrow night, Luna thinks   
that the Negaverse is going to attack there since that's the only fun they haven't   
ruined yet."   
"Bye hon," Lita waved, smoothing her hair one last time. "Wish me   
luck."  
"Oh! Good luck!" Mina blew her a kiss. "Get lucky in the name of Venus!"  
Raye rolled her eyes. "Crackhead. She'd better not get lucky unless   
she wants a beatdown."   
Mina studied the lines furrowing into her friend's forehead, and wondered   
what was bothering her so much that she transformed into a total shrew. "Raye?"   
she asked timidly.   
Raye nodded at her. "Huh?"  
"What's wrong?"   
She stiffened a little, then reached over and grabbed her keys.   
"I'm fine, Mina, OK?" She snapped harsher than she intended.   
I'm sorry, Mina, you don't know the whole story. Hell, I don't   
even know the whole story.   
"OK," Mina said softly, sliding in between her covers. "Have a   
good time tonight. And be careful. You staying over?"  
"I don't know, later," she said, heading out the door. She stopped,   
turned, and looked carefully at Mina sitting upright, staring after her,   
not hurt like Raye expected, but concerned. She softened a bit,   
shoving her insecurities to the background for now. "I'm sorry.   
Get some rest, OK?"   
Mina nodded. "OK, Raye. Be careful." Why did I repeat  
that?   
  
  
***********  
  
"DAMMIT!" Zach screamed, grabbing his foot. After the initial   
mild swear, he let loose with a stream of the most vulgar obscenities   
that he could think of, ranging from the standard four-lettereds to   
creative names for various body parts and functions. Jay stuck his   
head into the kitchen to see what the fuss was about. What he found   
was Zach hopping on one foot in a puddle of gold, foamy liquid   
peppered with broken glass.  
"No," he muttered, not wanting to believe the scene   
in front of him. "Zach, you didn't spill a Corona."  
"Yes I did so just shut up," Zach winced. "I don't want   
to hear it, I just dropped the little bastard on my foot." The phone   
rang, and Zach reached over to pick it up.  
"DON'T ANSWER THAT!" Jay screamed, knocking the   
phone out of Zach's hands and sending it skittering across the linoleum.   
"It might be Crazy Kristen; she already called three times today."  
"You're sh***ing me."  
"NO! She keeps asking me when she should stop by. I   
keep telling her I'm going to 114 tonight. She better not show up and   
mess things up between me and Raye." For the last four hours, he   
had been stressing hardcore about Raye: if she would come, if she   
found him charming and attractive, if she found her clothes terribly   
constraining. He had plugged Darien for all the information he   
could get, a key factor in releasing the mojo. Now, if he could just   
keep Crazy Kristen off his back for a few minutes.   
There was a kick at the front door, and a yell. "Would   
someone open the GD door?" Matt screamed through the oak.   
"Why does the door have to be locked all the time?"  
"To keep you out," Zach quipped, unlocking the dead bolt.   
Darien, Kevin and Matt burst through the door, each loaded with   
cases of MGD.   
"OK, don't help or anything," Matt barked at Jay, who nodded   
complacently and didn't help, or anything. The stack of cases that   
was Kevin swung around and dropped a six-pack of bottles on the   
kitchen table.   
"Why didn't we get kegs?" Darien asked, dropping his cases   
onto the table and rubbing his aching arms. Damn, I thought I was in  
pretty good shape. Then again, the four unholy warriors of Queen   
Bitch smack me around once a week.   
"4C's got kegs; let them get evicted. The penalty's so much   
more hardcore for kegs than for just cases. Besides, those kegs are for   
everybody-" Jay ripped open the cardboard and held up two handfuls   
of cans. "-these are for us!"  
"Yo, Jay, you have to check out Chiba's car!" Matt enunciated   
each word by pounding Darien on the shoulder. "Brand new Eclipse,   
fully loaded. Can't fit Kevin in it, though."  
Jay lifted his eyebrows, and then sauntered over to Darien   
and put his arm around his shoulders. "Darien, my brother in everything   
but blood..."  
My brother in everything but blood...   
"...please let me drive your car. At least once. I don't   
have a car, I have to use Kevin's crappy Blazer or Matt's station   
wagon."  
"It's not a station wagon!" Matt bellowed. "The Subaru   
Outback is a friggin SUV, thank you very much, not a GD station wagon!"  
"Whatever, soccer mom."  
Kevin opened the fridge and started loading cans in.   
"Want me to hide the Woodchuck?"  
"Yes!" Zach bellowed before anyone could speak. "Those  
are for Amy."  
Everyone stared at him. "But, Amy doesn't drink," Darien stated   
simply, like he was talking to a kindergartener.  
"Amy doesn't drink YET," Zach corrected, shuffling the cans   
and bottles around until he was satisfied that Jay wouldn't accidentally   
stumble across and down them. "I thought I'd start her off easy.   
Woodchuck is for girls."  
"I like Woodchuck," Kevin said. No one challenged his   
masculinity.   
Music suddenly started pounding through the walls, rattling the   
concealed bottles of Woodchuck together. "Guess 4C's starting early," Matt announced,   
checking his watch. "Hey Darien, when are the chicks getting here?"  
"I told them around ten. Why, what time is it?"   
"Nine-thirty. Should we start early, too?" He passed out cans to   
everyone except Kevin, who pulled a round container out of the freezer and   
grabbed his keys.  
"Coming back?" Jay asked, wincing when a shriek of female voices  
filtered through the walls. "OK, we're not going over there until Crazy   
Kristen and her ho posse are gone!"  
He was dragged over anyway.  
  
***********  
  
"Coming up on 'Dateline:' Are you paying too much for your cereal? '  
Dateline's' hidden camera goes undercover to reveal the truth behind the box..."  
"Oh for the love of-" Mina sighed as she flipped through the channels.   
What crap. They must have figured that the only people watching TV on Friday   
night are losers with concussions. She settled back on her pillow, pouting.   
I really, REALLY wanted to wear my ass pants and Raye's red halter-top   
and grind with Kevin. Damn Zoycite! That fruity little bastard is going to get a   
face full of Crescent Beam the next time I see him. She flicked "Dateline"   
back on and for the next half-hour, was bored half to death by Stone Phillips   
warning America about the abomination of overpriced Count Chocula.   
Wonder what the girls are doing. Watch this be the only time   
that Amy's drinking and I'll miss it. Dammit!   
Lulled into a semi-stupor by reruns of "The Real World," Mina almost   
fell out of bed when someone knocked lightly on her door. Probably someone   
from down the hall. She reasoned, rubbing her face and throwing the   
door open. "Yeah? What is it?" she harshed on the victim before realizing   
he was 6'6" and beautiful, with an expression of bewilderment crossing his   
face. "OH!" she said, instantly sorry and embarrassed beyond belief.   
"What are you-I mean, I thought your place was going tonight, oh God   
I look like-why did you-is that banana?"   
Kevin smiled, holding out the container as a peace offering.   
"Sorry to bust in. Serena said I should stop by and see if you're feeling  
OK."  
Aha! I knew there was a reason she was so desperate for me  
to wash my hair! "Oh, she did?" Mina said, smiling in a way that   
caused Kevin's knees to border on buckling.   
"Yeah," he said, wondering why the hell he couldn't string   
together a rational sentence when he was within two feet of her.   
"And," she prompted, slouching and gazing up at him.   
He gulped. "Are you feeling better?"  
She took the container of ice cream from him. "This will help.   
Want to come in for a while? I know that you want to get back to your   
house..."  
He followed her in the room and shut the door. The only light in  
the room was from the TV. "It can wait," he said, meaning it completely.   
He would rather be in the room with her at that moment than in Times   
Square when the ball was dropping.   
Mina produced two plastic spoons from a bag near the   
refrigerator, and offered one to Kevin. They sat on her bed together,   
albeit a tight squeeze, and Mina ended up sitting half on his lap.   
"Thank you so much!" she said, digging into the pale yellow   
cream. "How did you know that banana was my favorite?"  
"Serena."   
"Ah." What the hell? She's taking over my job! Oh my   
God! I just realized I'm not wearing a bra!   
"How's your head?" he asked, looking down and staring   
at the part in her hair, expecting to see stitches or a bruise or something.   
"I still have a slight headache. It was really bad last night   
after Z-I mean, after I slipped on ice."  
Kevin's spoon stopped halfway to his mouth. "I thought  
you slipped in the shower? That's what Amy said."  
Note to self: kill Amy later. "Oh yeah! I'm sorry, I just,   
you know, after I bumped my head I've been a little foggy..." P.S. Kill   
Serena too for not warning me.   
"Oh."   
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, finishing the rest of   
the ice cream and watching a rerun of "Law & Order." Mina snuggled up   
to Kevin's warm body, resting her head against the smooth, hard muscles   
of his chest. She smiled as the steady thump-thumps of his heartbeat   
vibrated under her cheek, reminding her that he was still alive. "Kevin?"  
"Hmm?" Kevin replied, feeling blood pound into his face as he   
stared down at the crown of her head. Oh God does she even know   
what she's doing to me?   
"Tell me about you."  
"What do you want to know?" he said softly, putting one   
hand on the small of her back and rubbing.  
"Anything. Just talk about you. Tell me where you're from,   
and what you like, and what you don't. Everything."  
Kevin didn't want to talk, he wanted to kiss her all over until   
his mouth was dry and his lips were chapped. But instead he said,   
"Well, I live in Junta, it's about an hour away from here, up north farther.   
Jay lives there, too, one street over. We've been best friends since sixth   
grade."  
"Really? I've been friends with the girls since junior high. How'd   
you meet him?"  
"Jay was being his annoying self at recess and this big fat kid   
Mike Malone started beating on him. So I started beating on Mike.   
Almost got expelled."   
"That sounds like Jay."  
"Yeah, I know. He started following me around, and I guess   
he rubbed off on me, because we've been tight ever since."  
"My room at home is pink and yellow," Mina said out of the   
blue. "There's a big tree outside my window that Artemis, he's my cat,   
used to climb up and down. I have a whole bunch of stuffed animals,   
and pictures of my friends, and Sailor V stuff that they used to give me   
when I would model."  
"I used to have all this 49er stuff in my room, but for some   
reason it made Kaylee cry, so I got rid of a lot of it."  
"Who's Kaylee?"  
"My sister. I have two of them. Kaylee's six, Jennifer's   
thirteen, and a big pain in the ass."  
Mina laughed, tickling Kevin with her breath. He shifted   
a little and Mina spooned onto his side. "I don't have any brothers   
or sisters. I used to wish I did, though, when we moved to England   
and I was all by myself. I wanted someone to side with me when my   
mother would go postal. What's your mom like?"  
"She's OK, I guess, a lot better than Jay's mom. We have   
this ongoing joke that she beats him with empty liquor bottles. Then   
again, if I was Jay's mom, I would beat him with empty liquor bottles too."  
Mina ran one hand lightly down his side, noticing how hard it   
was. God I love male muscles. "Does this bother you?"  
"No." Oh God no. Nothing you could do would bother me,   
unless you hooked up with Jay or something.   
"What does bother you?" she asked, staring up at him with   
her huge blues. He locked eyes with her, and lost his breath for a second.   
"Me? Uh, when Jay uses my car and forgets to put the seat   
back, when I stay up all night reading, and when my bad ankle starts   
hurting." When I'm this close to you and want more than anything   
in the world to kiss you and I choke.   
She moved up closer to his face, never breaking eye contact.   
Her blond strands split over her shoulders like molten gold. "And   
what do you like?"  
He put both hands around her back and brought her face  
within inches of his, close enough that they exchanged breath.   
"Blond girls with blue eyes from Japan, who have concussions and   
white cats."  
She smiled. "Quick, when's your birthday?"  
"What? Oh, January 19th. Why?"  
She looked down at his lips, and back into his gray   
eyes. "Because now I know enough about you to kiss you."   
She pulled forward and touched her lips to his.   
Outside, the moon emerged from behind the clouds   
that had been blocking its face.   
  
***********  
"There." The twisted woman stabbed her blood red talon   
at the image in her crystal. Her four minions leaned closer, studying   
the image in the cloudy ball. They saw a red brick apartment building,   
with cars double-parked on each side of the street and people   
streaming into the front doors. All the windows of the top floor   
were dimly lit, with silhouettes of people dancing. "That is where   
you will strike. Nephlite, Zoycite, you two go, and if those Sailor   
Brats appear," She narrowed her slit-like eyes and grinned, revealing   
malicious, pointed fangs. "Take hostages. They are all too  
ridiculously noble to let a human die. Go, and do not fail me."  
The two men bowed. "Yes, my queen," they said in unison.   



	6. 6

***********************************************************************  
  
Part 6, I hope, this is going very slowly! Um, i know it's getting   
really confusing and I'm sorry! Thankx to: rosey, yosh, ice,   
and anyone else i forgot.   
disclaimer: yeah i own sailor moon. i also own Microsoft, AOL,  
and the Baltimore Orioles. Just kidding. In reality i own nothing.  
Really. NOTHING!  
************  
"Whoa!" Zach ducked, almost catching a full cup with his face.   
The owner swiveled around; it was female, young, with extremely heavy   
makeup, and definitely a few beers past drunk.   
"HI!" she shrieked over the pounding music. "WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE?"  
"Yes," Zach said, squeezing into the crowd. "Away from you."  
He scanned the packed apartment for a distinctive blue head, but   
there was not a bright blue coif to be seen among the hair sprayed perms   
and baseball hats. Elbows and backs and butts slammed into him from all   
sides; it was like being packing in with a hundred intoxicated, dancing   
sardines. He squished his way through the grinding crowd, eyes peeled   
for anything blue.   
Zach started mentally panicking. Where is she? She said she   
was coming, right? I just saw her yesterday in class; she said she was   
coming.   
"AMY!" he tried, unsuccessfully. His voice was barely audible   
over Jay-Z's. He pried himself from the crowd, into the kitchen, where   
the keg was tapped. "Hey John," he said, tapping the beer keeper on   
the shoulder.   
"Yo," he called, taking Zach's empty cup out of his hand and   
filling it up.   
"Have you seen a short girl with blue hair? Really pretty?"  
John scratched his three-day stubble. "Uh, yeah. She was here   
a while ago, with some hot black-haired girl. She didn't take a cup,   
man, what's up with that?"  
Sounds like Amy. "Where did they go?"   
"Oh, I don't know man, I'm really wasted."  
"Thanks," Zach responded wryly. Sighing, he reentered the mass   
of sweaty, drunken bodies, dodging sloshing beer and flaying limbs.   
He wandered aimlessly for a while, holding his cup up above his head,   
his Amy-radar cranked up to max. "Ouch!" A muscular forearm smacked   
into his jaw, clicking his teeth together, which in turn chomped down   
on his tongue. "GOD-" Mid-swear, he spotted Amy discreetly trying to   
blend into the wall, an impossibility considering her distinctive blue   
locks. Raye was dancing nearby with some guy, who, Zach noted, was not   
Jay. Amy must have insisted she go, since Raye kept sneaking glances at   
her over the guy's shoulder.   
Ignoring the glass-sharp pain in his tongue, Zach took one more   
valiant leap through the rolling swarm, landing next to Amy. She jumped   
when he touched her arm.   
"Oh!" she exclaimed, catching her breath. "Hi Zach."  
"You came," he shouted near her ear. Behind his grin, his teeth   
glowed purple in the black light.   
"What?" she yelled. The tiny sparkles on her eyelids glittered   
in ultraviolet bursts, and Zach realized he had never seen her look so   
pretty.   
"Never mind," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into   
the crowd. "Dance with me."  
She did her best, and was pretty good, despite the fact that   
as a pre-med student and Sailor Senshi, she hadn't had a lot of practice   
grinding against someone to "Money Cash Hoes." Her hands were on Zach's   
back, their bodies were pressed together, and the simple contact was   
sending currents shooting up and down beneath her skin. She stared up   
at him, catching his eye. He smiled, and Amy noticed how clear and   
green his eyes were, like a leaf against the sun. Nerves gripped at   
her throat and she looked down at her shoes, the heat burning her face   
bright red.   
They danced until they both were sweating, and Zach leaned over   
and yelled, "Do you want to go to my place? It's not as loud."  
She nodded, and they snaked their way through the crowd and out   
the door. The hallway was almost as crowded, but cooler. Amy wiped   
her forehead off with her sleeve, unaware that Zach kept turning   
around and staring at her flushed face. Damn. Does she know how   
pretty she is right now? The sight of her all sweaty was giving   
him nasty thoughts, so he hurriedly grabbed her hand and led her into 2C.  
It was just as dim and alcohol-filled as 4C, but much quieter   
and less crowded. Bass was still blaring through the walls, but Bob   
Marley was playing, placating the crowd into a mellow, Grateful Dead   
parking lot kind of mood. Amy smiled; Serena and Darien were here,   
and Lita, too. "Excuse me," she said to Zach, and joined her friends   
at the pool table, which was covered with a huge piece of plywood with   
industrial markings stamped into it.   
"Hey Ames, where were you?" Lita said, throwing back her beer.   
"Haven't seen you or Raye in like an hour!"  
It was more like twenty minutes, but Amy didn't bother to correct   
her. "Where is Raye, anyway?" Serena asked, giggling as Darien hugged her   
from behind.   
"Back in 4C." Matt came over to them, fully equipped with a stack   
of plastic cups and a pitcher of beer.   
"Ready for some beer pong?" he asked, handing a stack of cups to   
Darien and bumping playfully into Lita. "You on my team?"  
"Maybe," she teased, her eyes bright with heat and alcohol.   
Darien was pouring beer into the triangle of cups. "We're going   
to kick your ass," he sang, pausing to peck Serena.   
"Bring it, Chiba."   
Amy stepped off to one side, trying to get out of the way, and   
backed right into Zach. "Oh! I'm sorry!"  
"That's OK," he said, holding out a bottle of Woodchuck. "I   
brought this for you."   
"Oh, I don't drink," Amy said, patting him on the arm and smiling   
apologetically.  
"But thank you anyway."  
"Oh AMY!" Serena bellowed. "C'mon, just try it! You'll like it,   
I promise." She burped, loud enough for everyone to hear over the Wailers.   
"That's my girl," Darien said, smiling.   
"AW, Amy," Matt said, sauntering over and dropping his arm around   
her shoulders. "If you're in college, you have to drink. It's like,   
admissions policy or something."  
"C'mon Amy!"  
"Let's go; Amy's drinking!"  
"You guys," she said simply. She thought of how much school meant   
to her, and how she would never become a wastoid who drank away her college   
career, and how disappointed her mother would be if she found out   
her only daughter had become a lush.   
She was in the middle of explaining how drinking was something she  
wasn't interested in, and how severe the penalty would be if she   
was caught, when Matt turned her around to face the crowd and   
started pointing.  
"Amy, see that guy over there? The one with the blue hat?"  
She stood on her tiptoes. "Yes."  
"Well, that's Paul Burns. He's here on full academic   
scholarship, and has a paid internship all lined up; the kid's   
a genius. And that, " he pointed to a short girl with dark   
hair. "is Jen Mattillo, who's only seventeen because she graduated   
high school early. And that guy with the orange Tommy shirt is Rob   
West. Perfect SAT score, first in all his classes, also a genius."  
"I know him."  
"Yes, are you seeing my point here?"  
"Absolutely not."  
"You can be a genius and still get cranked every weekend.   
You're not going to flunk if you throw back a few tonight, I promise.   
And if you do, in twenty years, end up as a crazy bag lady that lives   
under a bridge and collects stray cats, I give you permission in   
advance to run me down with your stolen Wal-mart shopping cart."   
Matt took a bottle opener out of his back pocket and pried off   
the cap. "Here. Bottom's up."  
She stared at the bottle for a few seconds, until finally   
she took it out of his hands. I can't believe I'm listening to   
drunken logic. This is definitely a new low. Everyone held   
their breath, waiting for any sign of life from the petite blue-head,   
and she surprised everyone by cautiously sipping. She paused, took   
a longer gulp, and pronounced, "It's not that bad. It doesn't even taste   
bad."  
They cheered, using the initiation of Amy into official college   
life as an excuse to kill the rest of their cups. Zach and Amy settled   
on the couch, while the remaining four took their places on opposite  
ends of the covered pool table and began a highly competitive game   
of beer pong.   
Amy settled down, feeling almost as comfortable amidst the   
party atmosphere as she did in her personal corner on the second floor   
of the library, her third most comfortable spot after her own house   
in Japan and her dorm room. The obstructing thought popped into her   
head so suddenly, she almost dismissed it as a side effect of having   
her first drink. That's not how you play beer pong. It's played   
with cherries. She furrowed her brow, trying to grasp the memory   
that was as slippery as soap bubbles, as just as fragile. Crystal   
glasses, half full of amber liquid, white tablecloth, silver and gold,   
and…cherries! The whole point is to throw the cherry into the glass.   
"Amy?" Zach asked tentatively. The glint of a memory dissipated   
like smoke in her hands.   
"Yes?" she replied, swallowing a flood of Woodchuck.   
Dear God I've turned her into a lush. "Um, you look really   
good tonight."  
She swiveled, looking straight at him as he blushed. Is he   
for real? Or is that just the beer talking? Her throat constricted   
as the feeling of utter and paralyzing shyness shot through her,   
freezing her vocal cords and numbing her genius brain. She looked   
down, away, anywhere but at his face, and at the same time, the touch   
of his leg against hers on the couch blurred out the music, the noise,   
the sticky thirsty feeling the Woodchuck was leaving in her throat,   
and what conspicuously smelled like a pot cloud coming from the hallway.   
The touch was all she felt, all that she actually wanted to feel.   
"Thank you," she managed to blurt out, pressing one hand against   
the heat of her face. Ah, what the hell. She killed the rest of   
the bottle within seconds. "Could I have another one of these?"  
Meanwhile, back in 4C, Raye managed to break out of the slithering   
grasp of the jerk she had been dancing with and was squeezing her way   
around the apartment, searching for Amy. And perhaps someone else.   
"RAYE!" someone screamed. Raye turned and spotted two of   
her sorority sisters, Christina and Angela, waving her over. She   
smiled.  
"Oops, oh, excuse me, sorry, coming through. Hey you guys!"   
she said, pulling her hair off her sweaty neck and fanning her flushed   
face. "Have you seen my friend Amy around?"  
"Which one's that?" Angela, a tall, busty brunette, held out   
her cup and offered it to Raye.  
She shook her head, refusing. "Uh, you know, the girl with   
the blue hair. Did you ever meet her?"  
Christina brightened, obviously from an epiphany. "Oh yeah,   
I met her before! Uh, she was dancing with some guy and, uh, I   
think they went to 2C or 3C. The whole floor's having a party."  
"Probably 2C, that's where he lives," Raye declared, tying   
her hair into a ponytail with the elastic she wore around her wrist.   
"Oh, look, there's Jay Melman," Angela said, pointing above   
everyone's head. Raye pursed her lips together and dared to sneak   
a glance over her shoulder. Sure enough, Jay was shoving his way   
through the crowd, pushing people left and right. Before she could   
duck or move, his eyes settled on her, and he grinned.  
"Raye!" he called, his shout drowned to a whisper. She almost   
smiled, but caught herself in time. He started towards her, obviously   
having no regard for human life by the way he flung people out of his   
path, and was making progress until he was intercepted by the   
notorious Seventh Floor Bitch herself, Kristen Hayes.   
"Oh my God, can you believe the way that girl throws herself   
at him?" Angela shook her head in disgust.   
"Never mind that, can you believe those pants she's wearing?   
Uh, we don't want to see every dimple in your cottage cheese ass,   
ya two-dollar ho!" Christina cackled.   
Kristen rubbed her heavy-ringed hand against Jay's chest, making   
sure to smirk at Raye over his shoulder. Raye would have noticed that   
his smile was tight and forced if she hadn't been battling icy cold   
knives in her stomach.   
Angela noticed Raye wasn't laughing, but was preoccupied with   
Kristen and Jay. "Raye? Did Jay just call your name?"  
"Huh?" She turned around, her violet eyes flat. "Well,   
yeah, but he obviously has other things willing to throw themselves   
at him."   
Christina reached out to touch her, ready to let loose   
with another scathing insult directed at Kristen and her   
tight pants, but Raye broke away suddenly and strode out of   
the apartment. Jay noticed, and literally threw Kristen into   
a random guy and took off after her.   
"OH!" Christina sniggered. "I think he wants Raye,   
hardcore! Whaddya think, Ang?"  
"Definitely."  
  
************  
  
"YES!" Lita squealed, bouncing in celebration. She jumped   
up and Matt caught her in a hug and also jumped up and down, and   
would have disturbed the downstairs neighbors if they hadn't also   
been partying next door.   
"DRINK!" Matt bellowed over Lita's shoulder, continuing to   
hop in celebration. Darien grinned and threw back the half-cup.   
"Darien! We lost!" Serena moaned. "We have to play again!"  
"OK," he mumbled, steadying himself against the pong table.   
The room seemed to sway. "Uh, on second thought, hon, why don't we   
sit down for awhile?"  
She pouted briefly. "OK." They stumbled over to the couch and   
plunked down next to Amy and Zach.  
"Hey Serena!" Amy chirped, grinning so widely her molars were   
exposed.   
"How you feeling, Amy?" Darien asked warily. It was just his   
luck that Amy would get bombed off her ass and end up ralphing the entire   
night. And it would be all their fault, too.   
"Little dizzy. Otherwise, OK." Darien looked down and noticed   
that she and Zach were holding hands.   
"OK," he repeated.   
Matt carried Lita piggyback style to the couch. "Check it   
out, it's the loser couch!" They burst into such hysterical giggles   
that Matt had to hike her up so she didn't slide off his back and   
land ass-down in a beer puddle.   
"Not funny, dips***," Darien muttered, then spotted a familiar   
person lingering near the doorway, surveying the room. "Hey Raye!"   
he called to her, waving frantically.   
She practically raced over to the couch, and dove between Darien   
and Serena, knocking Serena's cup hand and sloshing beer on her lap.   
"RAYE!" Serena bellowed, blood rushing to her face in a rage.   
"You ruined my new shirt! You-"  
"My God, will you shut up?" Raye hissed, craning her neck to   
see around the half-Lita, half-Matt centaur. "Oh no."   
Jay had entered the room and was making his way to the "loser   
couch." Matt moved aside to make room for him. "Hey guys," he   
slurred. "Hey Raye."  
"Hey," she muttered, not once looking in his direction.   
"So, uh," Jay searched his intoxicated mind for something to   
say and dissolve the uncomfortable reign of silence that his presence   
had inflicted. "Has anyone seen Kevin?"  
"No," Matt said, turning to Zach. He shook his head.   
"Ah," Darien concluded. All four males smiled knowingly at   
each other, and Raye rolled her eyes.  
"Yeah, my MAN! Wow, I never thought he'd even talk to another   
female again after Megan," Jay concluded.   
"Who's Megan?" Serena asked suspiciously. If Kevin was using   
Mina, for any reason under the sun, she would personally march down   
to the dorms in the freezing cold and moondust his sorry ass before   
he had a chance to blink.   
"His ex-bitch, real stupid slut who used to screw around on him   
all the time. He needed to smack her up, hardcore."  
"OH MY GOD!" Raye jumped up in a fury, knocking Serena's cup askew   
once again. "You are friggin unbelievable!"  
"Huh?"   
"Just-I don't know! Stop it!" Embarrassed at her unwarranted   
outburst, she stalked off angrily, bulldozing any unfortunate individual   
in her path to the door.   
"O-k," Jay said slowly, stretching the two letters into a full   
sentence. "What just happened? Do I smell or something?"  
"Just a guess, hon, it might have been your dumbass putdown of   
women that got her. Raye's a kind of, um, a uh, um," Serena blinked   
and waited for someone to fill in the right word.   
"Femme Nazi?" Jay guessed dryly.   
"NO! A liberal?"  
"Bra-burner," Matt tried next.   
"No, never mind."  
"I wonder what's getting to her," Lita mused from behind   
Matt's head. "She's usually not so, uh, bitchy."  
"You think?" Serena quipped, having been on the receiving end of   
one too many Raye-bombs.   
A female shriek was heard from the opposite end of the room,   
practically drowning out Bob Marley's melodic wailing. Matt, Jay and   
Zach whipped their heads around towards the sound, wincing at the   
unnatural screeching emanating from the equally unholy beings. Zach   
audibly groaned; Jay jumped, looking like he would dart away like   
a startled deer.   
"I think I know what's getting to Raye," Matt laughed. "Hey   
Jay, do you feel a breeze in here?"  
Zach jumped in on cue. "Yeah, it's like there's a TYPHOON in   
here or something!"  
"F*** you both," Jay muttered, heading towards the door at a   
speed a few notches below breakneck. Fortunately, he remained unnoticed   
by the two screechers.   
"OK, what's going on?" Lita asked, finally sliding off of   
Matt's back.   
Matt and Zach erupted into hysterical drunken giggles, Zach   
laughing so hard that tears leaked out of his eyes. Matt gasped   
for air like a goldfish out of water, finally choking out, "This-this   
girl last year, Stacy Mayeski, Jay was seeing her for like 2 whole weeks,   
and then she started getting psycho so he dumped her. And THEN,   
she went freakin' postal and sent him this ten page email that   
said all this crap like, "I wish I could dance with you under the   
stars,' and 'Whenever I see you, a TYPHOON goes off in my heart.'"  
Serena snorted. "Are you serious?"   
"Yes! We all read it, and then this one," He pointed to Zach,   
who nodded. "Sent it to everyone on campus…it was the best!   
Everyone started calling her Typhoon Lagoon after that! We always   
bust on Jay anymore, for that, and for Crazy Kristen. She's probably   
worse than the Typhoon."  
"Which one's Typhoon?" Lita asked.   
"The short chick with the dark hair and white shirt. The one   
with the shorter hair is Crazy Kristen."  
"She's a Seventh Floor Bitch!" she exclaimed. "I know her,   
she's disgusting."  
"Got that right."  
"Oh, I bet that Typhoon or Crazy K. said something to Raye!"   
Zach bounced up animatedly, pleased with his conclusion. "That   
chick's CRAZY, she would so do that!"  
Matt groaned and put both his hands to his head. "No way!   
She's going to screw everything up!"  
"What?"   
"Nothing…How you feeling, Amy?" he covered quickly.  
"Hmm?" Her aqua eyes were extremely glassy, Zach noticed.   
Maybe he should cut her off for the night.   
************  
Raye pounded down the stairs, her heels clunking heavily on   
the old wood. So much for a stealthy escape. She wanted out,   
just out of the building, out of everyone's sight, off the planet   
Earth for a few minutes. This happened every time she met someone:   
they ended up being a player with fifty girls hanging off their   
stupid frat-boy chest and couldn't give two sh**s about her. Jay   
didn't really like her; he liked her face and body just like he   
liked stupid Kristen for her…whatever, obviously not her thin thighs,   
and that slut Stacy for her low alcoholic tolerance and willingness   
to get naked.   
Plus she had a raging case of PMS. Any male over the age of   
two was getting on her very last nerve.  
"Raye, wait!" She looked up, startled, and saw Jay pounding   
down the stairs after her. He leaped over the banister with the grace   
of a wasted panther, landing very close to her being and nearly   
knocked her ass over teakettle down the sticky stairs.   
She turned to leave, but he caught her by her wrist. "Wait,   
don't go!"  
She wheeled around, violet eyes flashing. "Why?" she asked,   
trying to struggle out of his grip. "Isn't Kristen waiting for you?"  
"So what if she is?"  
"Well, if you're screwing her, then just leave me alone! I   
don't need some guy playing me and hitting that fat bitch at the same time!"  
Jay inwardly blanched at the thought of anyone with sound   
mind and body getting it from Crazy Kristen. "Raye, what are you talking   
about?"  
"You know!" Dear lord am I making an ass of myself?   
"No, I don't! Please enlighten me." She stared at him for a   
second, wondering what his face would feel like if she touched   
it. Her bearings returned and she shook her head.  
"Kristen told me that you're calling her up again and you   
two are supposed to hook up tonight and-"  
He groaned. "Are you sh***ing me?"  
"No," she replied, raging heat rising to her face again.   
What, did he think I'd never find out?   
Jay shoved his hands in his pockets and prayed to every   
god that he knew that he wouldn't screw this up. "Raye, listen,   
if you didn't already know, that girl is crazy. Like, clinically,   
medically, really, truly crazy. I dumped her a while back and she   
thinks that if she annoys the hell out of me I'll see the light   
and take her back. Do you know what she said to me when we broke up?"  
Raye shook her head slowly, wondering why she was so quick   
to jump to conclusions.  
"She said, 'You can't break up with me because you love me.'"   
He made a face to match his mocking tone. "What the hell was that?   
What did she think I would say, 'Oh, yeah, you're right, I do love   
you! Whatever was I thinking?'"   
A tiny laugh escaped from her glossy lips. She could see   
Kristen saying something like that and actually believing it.   
"Please, Raye, believe me when I tell you she's crazy, and   
I don't have any feelings for her whatsoever. Basically, she's   
just a big pain in the ass." He touched her hand gently, pleased   
that she didn't automatically yank it back. "I want to know you   
better, Raye. I want to know all about Japan and your temple and   
everything. I want to know your last name."  
She looked up at him, and saw that his crystal blue eyes   
were sincere, and how amazingly his blond eyebrows fit into his   
face. Dear lord I'm staring at his damn eyebrows! At that   
moment, in the dingy stairwell of a moderately priced off-campus   
apartment building, with beer drying stickily to the soles of her   
shoes, Raye let him in. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear,   
"Hino."  
The reverberation of her breath traveled through his psyche   
at the speed of light, igniting his senses wherever it feather-brushed.   
He felt the heat of her face radiating on his own, almost making him   
shudder with the sensation. "I really spell my name R-E-I," she   
continued in his ear. "I just changed the spelling to Americanize   
it a little, it was Usagi's idea."  
"Who?"  
"Serena. Her real name is Usagi. Darien was the first to change   
his name. He thought he'd have an easier time fitting in as "Darien"   
than Mamoru. Usagi thought it would work for us, too, so we all   
picked American names."  
"Really?"   
"Yes. I'm really Rei, and Serena's Usagi. Mina's Minako,   
Amy's Ami, and Lita is Makoto."  
Makoto? That's one hell of a stretch from Lita. "My   
name's really Jason. I shortened it in first grade because   
there were four Jasons."  
She laughed a little. "And you wanted to be different, right?"  
"No, my teacher wanted me to know that it was me she was yelling   
at and not the other Jasons."  
She laughed and relented at the same time. Maybe she would   
give Jay a chance after all, and besides, if he hurt her, she would   
just microwave him from the waist down and then let him live. "I'm   
sorry, I mean, I really shouldn't have flown off the handle like that.   
I was way out of line."  
"Hey don't worry. And believe me, Kevin would rather jump in   
front of an eighteen-wheeler than raise a finger to a girl. You should   
have seen his mom kick the crap out of him when she saw his tattoo."  
Mutual apology was shown in their eyes when they looked at   
each other, violet to blue. Deep amethyst to crystal blue. Jay's   
brain fumbled with several words before he said, "Want to go back   
upstairs? Matt and Lita think they're the s*** since they beat everyone   
at beer pong. I think they need an ass-whupping."  
Raye's black eyebrows rose into her wispy bangs. "Really? Do   
you think we could take them?"  
"Are you kidding? I've seen you play pitch; I know we can take   
them." Raye smiled, throwing a look to Jay that would have made him   
melt if he was made of wax or snow or something that wasn't a carbon-based   
life form. She started climbing the stairs again, Jay following her closely.  
She knew where he was looking without even turning around.   
"Stop looking at my ass," she commanded. Even though it does look   
pretty damn good, I must admit.   
"I'm not," Jay lied, his eyes glued directly to her ass. As   
they reentered the dimly lit apartment, Jay threw an arm casually   
around Raye's shoulders. She was about to say something when she   
noticed Typhoon Lagoon and Crazy Kristen watching them with daggers   
of jealousy in their eyes, and she smiled like a cat. Good call,   
Jay. He had basically marked her as his, and even the two crazy   
skanks couldn't misinterpret it.   
Lita and Matt were still boasting over their pong skills.   
We're going to clean the floor with them. "Shall we?" Jay asked,   
turning to her and smiling. This time,it was Raye's turn to mentally melt.   
"Yes, we shall."  
************  
This is the way it's supposed to be. Serena thought lazily,   
watching the two couples battle for superiority with plastic cups and   
a ping-pong ball. Raye had loosened up to Jay so much that they would   
exchange drunken hugs whenever the ball landed in a cup. Lita and   
Matt were getting desperate, since only one of their cups remained,   
while three sat in front of Jay and Raye in a pyramid.   
Suddenly, Darien stiffened, a feeling of foreboding flaring up   
in the cells of his body, and something almost primal made him scan   
the room hurriedly, and he stood up and peeked through the window blinds.   
He saw nothing through the railing of the fire escape but Boris St.   
below lit orange from the streetlights and a few drunken passers-by   
tripping over their shoelaces and stumbling into cars (and finding it   
hilarious to boot).   
"Darien?" Serena asked, her voice trembling. Darien turned to   
her, sitting on the couch, her face crossed with worry. Whatever was   
alerting his senses was doing the same for her.   
"Do you feel it?" he asked, already knowing the answer. The Negaverse   
was near, he could feel its evil energy clustering somewhere in the   
building, not in 2C, but somewhere very close by. Serena shuddered   
involuntarily, trying her best to squelch the rising panic in her throat.  
Raye abruptly stopped her victory celebration with Jay and stood   
rigid in shock, her spine holding her upright like a rod of steel. She   
numbly stumbled over to Serena and Darien and whispered, "They're here.   
I can feel them. On the roof."  
Darien swallowed, his mind racing. He suddenly wished that Mina   
were present; she was always the quickest to execute and devise a course   
of action that could possibly work. Someone else was stuck in his head;   
the image so fuzzy and distant that he couldn't name him or her for the   
life of him, and all he remembered was something white.  
Amy and Lita joined the huddle. Impulsively, Lita turned to Raye   
for answers. "What do we do now?"   
Serena raised her eyebrows. She was about to reaffirm her leadership   
status and remind everyone that they should be turning to her for advice   
and not Raye, when something heavy thumped down above the ceiling, something   
heavy enough for plaster dust to flutter down on the startled crowd and   
for the CDs in both apartments to skip.   
Everyone's head shot up, and Matt screamed, "What the hell is   
that?"   
Darien's head snapped to the window, and Zach reached out and   
pulled him away from it a split second before it imploded.   
Raye was thrown down before she heard the glass shatter,  
and gasped for breath on the carpet under heavy dead weight which   
turned out to be Jay. He had shielded her from the shower of jagged   
projectiles with his body, and was rewarded with several pieces of   
window embedded in his bare arms.  
Raye's heart leapt in her throat, disbelieving that he was   
stupid enough to throw her, the Senshi of Fire, to the ground at   
the risk of his own life. "Jay," she croaked, pain picking at her   
heart sharper than the glass.   
"Ouch," was the muffled reply.   
People, mostly girls, were screaming, and a mad rush to the   
door only previously witnessed in police busts ensued. Thinking   
quickly, Matt picked up the flat, black cell phone that had fallen   
out of Raye's purse and was about to punch the police button when   
Lita knocked into him in her scrabble for cover. He tightened his   
grip on the phone, not realizing that he had punched the pound key twice.   
Lita joined Amy and Serena behind the beer pong/pool table,   
who were both hidden in safety and concealment behind the   
ancient wooden furnishing. "Ready?" Lita asked, pulling out   
her henshin pen. The other two nodded.   
The youma floating outside the window was transparent red, its   
head aflame and one arm replaced with a metal striker. Shimmering   
heat waves surrounded it, and as Darien watched, transfixed, it flicked   
its striker arm, sending sparks shooting through the now-open window.   
He pieced together the unusual anatomy, and concluded that it had   
been created from a discarded cigarette lighter. Jay sat halfway up,   
his eyes as big as teacup saucers. "Oh my God," he whispered, white   
from pain and shock.   
Only Zach saw the flash of pink, green, and blue from behind   
the pool table. He opened his mouth to say something when the youma   
crashed down in front of him, knocking him backwards into the wall.   
"No way!" Zach shook his head; stunned, incredulous that one of   
those monsters would choose to attack him and his friends.   
"Stop right there, ugly!"   
Heads turned to the sound. Sailor Moon stood on top of the   
brittle surface of the beer pong table, arms crossed, flanked on   
either side by Jupiter and Mercury. Darien smiled; halfway relieved   
that the majority of them were able to transform in semi-privacy.   
Raye squiggled out from under Jay and ran towards the hallway; a flash   
of red confirmed that she'd transformed into Sailor Mars.   
"I am Sailor Moon! On behalf of the moon…"  
"Oh cool, the cheerleaders came to save us!" Jay said from the   
floor. A look of annoyance flashed across all three Sailor's faces.   
Sailor Moon guffawed. "I am NOT a cheerleader, thank you very   
much, I am the Defender of love and justice, and now I'm going to do   
away with YOU." She pointed one gloved finger at the youma.   
Darien's one second of serenity was interrupted by a flash of   
white-hot sparks shot mere inches from his face. The youma entered   
the apartment and kicked over the coffee table, sending over orphan   
cups of beer flying and soaking the carpet.  
"Hey cutey!" it screeched, flicking at its striker. It hadn't   
shot any flames yet, Darien noticed, so the lighter must have been   
out of fluid before it had been created. Still and all, according to   
the New England Journal of Medicine, sparks hurt too, and would most   
likely leave third degree burns when coming in contact with human skin.   
Sailor Mars ran out of the hallway. "What did I miss?" Zach   
and Matt, who had run over to assist Jay, gawked at her. "What?" she   
asked in response to their open mouths.   
"What's with the do-me heels?" Jay asked, supported on either side   
by his friends.   
I'm going to put this do-me heel right through his forehead.   
"That's none of your business, you moronic civilian."  
The youma saw a break, and pounced on it like a rabid mountain   
lion. Leaping in the air with surprising swiftness for an oversized   
Bic, it caught Darien with enough force to rattle his fillings and knocked   
him backwards out the window and onto the rickety fire escape. "Need a   
light?" it screeched maniacally, standing above his supine form and shooting   
sparks dangerously near his face. He cried out and clapped a hand over   
his face in a desperate attempt to save his visage and retinas.  
"DARIEN!" Sailor Moon screamed, the desperation in her voice heard   
louder than the name she cried. She only took one faltering run-step to   
the window and the love of her several lives before she was blocked by   
three male bodies unwisely squiging their way through the jagged windowpane.   
That guy is the biggest idiot the world has ever seen. Mars was   
the first one out the window after them, thinking of all the heinous, possibly   
illegal things she would do to Jay for playing superhero while big chunks of   
glass were stuck in his forearms. Doesn't he know that he could have cut   
or will cut several major veins and arteries, causing him to bleed to death?   
Jeez, you would think he totally slept through biology. Oh, wait, he did,   
I'm in his class.   
Jupiter helped Mercury and Moon through the Window of Death, but   
Mars was already gone, her do-me heels clanking down the metal fire escape   
with the subtlety of a school bell. "Where are they?" Moon shouted down to   
her, trying to keep the tears and her composure in.   
"Those stupid idiots are CHASING it!" Mars shouted up at them, her   
face the color of her signature fuku. " I don't know what the hell they   
think they're going to accomplish except get their worthless asses kicked!   
They went down that alley!" She pointed down the narrow alley that ran into   
Boris St, and then casually jumped over the railing.   
"Let's go girls!" Jupiter leapt off the second floor fire escape and   
landed deftly on her heels like she had been skipping a curb. Mercury and   
Moon landed behind her with a soft thump-thump.   
Darien and Matt were down on the ground, and as they watched, both of   
them rolled to either side to avoid being singed with sparks shooting from   
the youma's hand. Zach unwisely threw an empty bottle at it, clunking its   
plastic head and shattering the bottle, spraying the area with more potential   
hazards.   
"Oh, good move, dipsh**!" Matt shouted, on his feet again and running.   
"Oh, what, you got a better idea? I just saved your ass; you should be   
on your knees thanking me!"  
Darien threw a frantic look to Serena, and she understood. He was   
frustrated that he couldn't transform lest he give away his identity, and   
save his friends from energy-drainage and possible death.   
Well, they have spine, at least. Mercury touched on her computer   
visor and scanned for weaknesses.   
"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter cried, the tension leaving her hands as   
the white-hot lightening did. Her hasty attack missed by miles, nearly   
frying Matt alive.   
"Sorry!" she immediately apologized. Matt didn't recognize her as   
Lita, she knew that, but still and all, he would be pretty pissed to know   
his beer pong partner almost sent him up to the pearly gates.   
"Where's J-the other one?" Mars asked, a fireball forming between her   
hands.   
"I don't know!" Zach said nervously. "He was right behind me a few   
seconds ago!"  
"Looking for this?" came an arctic voice from the treetops. Darien's   
head snapped up while his heart sank to his stomach. He knew that voice,   
all right, and a few times he had wondered if it would be the last sound   
he heard. Nephlite floated down from his perch in the tree, joining Zoycite,   
who stepped out of the shadows, dragging someone by their arm. Darien   
forced his face into a blank, even though he was nervous enough to upchuck.   
Jay was standing perfectly still, his face the color of bleached flour,   
with Zoycite directly behind him holding an ice spear to his throat.   
"Don't even think about it, girls, or this guy's a eulogy."  
Jupiter and Mars slowly lowered their hands, the first course of action   
dissolving with the emergence of something the Negaverse hadn't tried before:   
hostages, with the threat of death.   
Sailor Moon didn't see the youma behind her; her attention was completely   
focused on her bleeding friend trapped in the clutches of a Negaverse monster.   
She still didn't know what hit her when she took a face full of concrete.   
"Sailor Moon!" Mercury screamed, before she was knocked down too.   
Mars and Jupiter sprung to life, Mars seemingly not caring if Jay died if   
it meant the life of the princess.   
Darien had no choice. He would rather trust Matt and Zach with his   
deepest, darkest secret than see his beloved die defenseless on the   
potholed pavement of Bryce University. In a flurry of red rose petals,   
Darien Chiba disappeared and Tuxedo Mask stood in his place.   
He caught the slightest glimpse of Matt and Zach's open mouths   
before he tried his best to intimidate the stronger, older, taller, and   
definitely more lethal dual. "I will not let you hurt these people, or   
any other person on this campus, in the name of evil! I will defeat you!   
I am Tuxedo Mask!"  
"Oh, man, pick a better name!" Matt cut off Zoycite before he even   
started. "Can't you be Neo or Morpheus or something badass? Hey, that   
guy looks like me."  
Nephlite made a face like he had just stepped in dog sh**. "Yes,   
how unfortunate," he hissed, and in the blink of an eye swooshed down   
and pinned Matt against a tree by his neck. Matt let out a whelp   
before his air was cut off. "How unusual, indeed. Beryl would be   
interested in seeing this."  
"NO!" Tuxedo Mask reached in his cape and hurled a rose at   
Nephlite, not really aiming and not really caring. It traveled   
about 10 feet before being blown to mulch by a purple boomerang.   
"Not so fast, Mask," Malachite growled, leaping out of his hiding   
place behind the wall so fast that Zach didn't even see what was coming.   
He was slammed into the pavement with Malachite's boot shoved under his   
chin.   
"Where did he come from?" Jupiter screamed, charging forward   
unwisely with the good intention of punching Malachite's lights out,   
disregarding the many times she had tried and failed at this particular   
endeavor. Malachite merely raised one prim, white-gloved hand and   
Jupiter bounced off his black energy dome like a crash test dummy.   
Zach screamed from the blast of dark energy delivered to him.   
"Uhhh!" he grunted. "Dar-Darien, help!"   
"Hang on!" Tuxedo shouted, elongating his wand and preparing to   
jump. Zach was a sitting duck underneath the Nega-verse's most powerful   
general, but Matt was quickly running out of air. "Sailor Senshi, take   
care of the youma!"  
"We're trying!" came the reply from Mars. It was harder and harder   
for her to fight with Jay in danger of being skewered by her least favorite   
general.   
Jupiter was two steps behind her. Ignoring the youma completely,   
she focused on the Generals, Zoycite in particular. There had been   
some bad blood between them ever since he remarked that her fuku was   
looking a little tight these days. "Let them go, Nega-s***, or I'll   
zap your girly hair out!"   
Nephlite rolled his eyes and applied more pressure to Matt's neck.   
"Nice try, little girl, I'm shaking in my Senshi-stomping boots. Let's   
see you dodge this!" Offhandedly, he shot a volley of lethal stars at her.   
Matt was turning purple.   
It's not going to scare them, but what the hell, it's worth a   
shot. Tuxedo Mask thought. "Give up, Malachite! You're outnumbered!"   
"Oh please, Tuxedo Mask, you and the Sailor Brats have outnumbered   
us many times and we've always come out on top! Now, for some energy   
for Metallia…" Malachite's hands glowed faintly blue, and Zach screamed   
when he grabbed his throat. Nephlite did the same, but Matt didn't have   
enough air to scream. He made desperate choking sounds instead.   
"No!" Jay cried out in pain as Zoycite nicked him with the tip of   
his icicle. Mars watched in horror as a trickle of blood ran down his neck,   
and suddenly a vision struck her out of nowhere, a mental foul ball clonking   
an innocent spectator.   
Someone died that way.   
Following his lover's suit, Zoycite tightened his hold on Jay and   
began draining his energy, of which there was little. Jay's face screwed   
up in pain, and his mouth opened and closed noiselessly.   
"STOP!" Sailor Moon cried, her voice ripping a hole in the space in   
the alley. If their purpose was to tear her heart in half by hurting Darien's   
best friends, her friends, then they had succeeded. She felt Darien's   
pain as if it were her own. He had been waiting so long to find them,   
find their companionship, find somebody to love and treat him like a   
brother, and those sadistic maniacs wanted to take it away, leaving him   
all alone again.   
Then, for a second, everything stopped. Zach stopped screaming,   
Sailor Moon stopped whimpering, even the wind stopped blowing. The   
lighter youma stopped its maniacal laughter and was still. It seemed   
that all sound and movement held its breath for a split second, frozen   
with amazement and anticipation.   
Above, the full moon smiled.   
Malachite was immobile with shock. Under his gloved hands, Zach   
was pulsing with shimmering silver light. A wisp of even stronger light   
ignited at his feet and snaked up his body in a spiral, enveloping him.   
Where it touched, his ordinary clothes morphed into a dove-gray military-style   
uniform, and white gloves appeared on his hands. His short blonde   
hair shot down his shoulders and tied itself in the back into a   
ponytail.   
His glasses fell off his nose and disappeared in the swirling silver light,   
because Zoicite had twenty-twenty vision.   
His skull throbbed with pain that was worse than a thousand swords in   
his head, because a thousand years ago Zoicite had been thrown against a stone   
wall and had died on the hard ground, his skull fractured, his brain hemorrhaging.   
Malachite dropped him, and Zoicite stopped screaming. He blinked,   
staring at the world through his new perfect vision, like a newborn opening   
his eyes for the first time. He ran his gloved hands down his new uniform,   
and the silver light slowly waned and disappeared. Malachite backed off,   
horrified, muttering, "No, it can't be! We killed you!"  
"Darien?" Zoicite asked timidly from the ground, his eyes wild   
with bewilderment. "What's going on? What happened to me?"  
"Oh," Sailor Moon breathed, "Look."  
Matt was enveloped in the same strange light as Zach, except that   
his came in a cascade of shooting stars instead of the swirl. It   
reminded Jupiter of Venus's transformation. His short brown hair fell   
down his shoulders in ripples, and nothing appeared to tie it back. His   
uniform was the same as Zoicite's, but with more elaborate shoulder   
padding and lining.   
His eyes were cast to the sky, and comprehension slammed into   
his brain like a bullet. He understood the intricate patterns the   
celestial bodies formed, what they meant, what they held, how precious   
it all was. They sparkled and chimed, and he felt the sudden urge to   
laugh, to call out to them, to touch their glitter and feel the light   
flow through his body like a drug. His head floated with the knowledge   
of it all, what he possessed.  
He was cold, colder than those nutty scientists that camped out   
in Antarctica to stare at penguins. Sorrow tore at him, clouding his   
eyes with moisture, because a thousand years ago Nephrite had watched   
his friends die and then he too died, having bled to death from multiple   
stab wounds.   
Zoycite recoiled as a puff of silver light, like smoke poufing   
out of a magician's hat puffed at Jay's feet, temporarily obstructing   
him from view. As it cleared, silver sparkles remained, and the glass   
fell out of his arms and the wounds sealed themselves, as did the nick   
in his throat. A light gray uniform formed as his regular clothes   
faded away, and his short blond hair grew out only a few inches, so   
that it fell over his eyes in waves.   
His entire body ached, every one of his bones joining in the   
terrible tornado of pain, because a thousand years ago Jadeite had been   
beaten so severely that he died of internal bleeding a few minutes afterwards.   
Merry prankster. Sailor Moon suddenly thought, and was left   
grasping at the words that had surfaced in her mind and then just as   
quickly, sunk back into mental depths.   
Sailor Moon shook her head over and over, like a broken toy.   
"What's going on? Why are they Generals, too?"  
Mercury immediately shot her mini-computer across her eyes   
and began scanning. The cloud of silver energy was so thick; it   
was like looking at their silhouettes through dense fog. She gasped   
when she realized that the same energy was covering Tuxedo Mask.   
"Tuxedo!" she called. "They have the same energy as…"  
"I know, Mercury," he replied in an oddly tight voice. "I know."  
************  
Dave Matthews was on his third loop of the night, since neither   
of the occupants cared enough to get up and switch CDs, or at least turn   
off the repeat mode. This was the third time he had performed "Lover Lay   
Down," in the space of a few hours, and he hadn't tired of it yet. If left   
to his own devices, he would have played it at least ten more times   
until the sun rose.   
Mina's lips were swollen and chapped already, still, she didn't   
stop, and neither did Kevin. If they stopped, so would the world, and   
they were the centers of the world, the world of a stuffy dorm room lit  
by only a TV on mute and Dave Matthews and his band serenading the Adam   
and Eve of Goshin.   
They had been ferociously making out for a few hours, sometimes   
tongue-wrestling and sometimes laying completely still, staring into   
each other's eyes and basking in the tangible something that existed   
between their faces. Somewhere along the course of things, Mina's pajama   
top had been completely unbuttoned, and neither she nor Kevin remembered   
doing it; the shirt seemed to spring open on its own.   
Kevin broke off from her mouth and began kissing her neck. Mina   
rested her tired lips and exhaled, relishing the feel of his lips against   
her bare skin. She had never been kissed this way; it had completely   
obliterated her headache, obliterated everything but the feel of his body.   
Only once had they been interrupted, when Kevin's large body   
had rolled over, taking Mina with it, and the momentum of a heavy   
body balancing on a skinny bed had taken them both on the floor.   
After a few minutes of laughter, they had resumed their liplock and   
now Dave Matthews was playing "Say Goodbye" for the fourth time.   
Kevin nestled his face into her neck, lying still, and Mina   
reached up with one hand and stroked his short, strange, silver strands.   
One heavily muscled arm wrapped around her and squeezed her to him.   
We're going to fall asleep this way. Mina thought drowsily, breathing   
when he did, heart beating when his did. She opened her eyes in   
the blurry dim, and thought for a second she saw billowing gauzy white   
curtains, so diaphanous the stars could be seen through them clearer   
than glass. Blinking, she stared hard at the window over Raye's bed,   
but the curtains there were maroon and made of a heavy, scratchy   
material, and were completely stationary.   
Kevin experienced something similar, when he wrapped his arm   
around Mina. The feeling that he was leaving her choked him, almost   
paralyzing him with the horror. He hugged her tighter than ever   
before he stopped and checked himself. What the hell is wrong with   
you? It's not like you'll never see her again; she lives on campus.   
They rubbed lips again, and the whole process started over, this   
time more frenetic. Mina felt his hands on her, on parts that her clothes   
weren't covering, and she allowed it. She had made up her mind about   
ten songs ago to let whatever would happen happen; she wanted it this   
way. To hell with how badly Raye was going to rip into her the next   
morning, and the inevitable lecture from Amy, and a thousand different   
factors that would merge together to create the most awkward moment   
imaginable in the history of human existence.  
Kevin broke away from her a second, taking in her face, the perfect   
contours, the blue pearls of her eyes, and wondered how someone could be   
so beautiful without cosmetic surgery. She pulled him to her again, needing   
him more than air at that moment.   
Only God knows what would have happened that night, in the confines   
of the little room, if they were left completely uninterrupted until   
morning, but that was not to happen. Nothing that you want to happen   
actually does.   
Mina had one thumb under the elastic of her pajama bottoms when   
the alarm on her cell phone blared, cutting through Dave Matthews and his   
band. Mina's eyes flared open and she sat up suddenly, accidentally   
head-butting Kevin in the process. Oh God, they wouldn't call me   
unless they were really in trouble! I have to help them!   
"Mina?" Kevin asked, startled. "What's wrong?"   
"I-" What the hell am I going to say? At a complete loss for   
words or explanation, she scooted off the bed and stood up, leaving   
a very confused Kevin to observe her running around with no shirt   
on. She scrambled around the room looking for clothes, grabbing   
whatever top and bottom within reach, not knowing or not caring   
that her shirt was flapping open, giving Kevin a scene usually reserved   
for porn. She stopped, feeling the breeze on her bare chest, and   
realized how ridiculous she looked, jumping out of bed like a scared   
virgin-  
You are a scared virgin, my dear, or have you forgotten that?  
Her brain started running with a thousand different cover   
stories, ranging from simple, ("I have to go to the bathroom,")   
to the absurd, ("I think I just broke my leg,") and each one as   
improbable as the next. She threw off her shirt, Oh hell he's seen   
everything anyway, might as well give the poor kid a thrill, pulled   
on a sweatshirt and proceeded to give the lamest excuse of her life,   
beating everything she had previously ever said to her parents,   
teachers, state police, etc.   
"R-Raye just paged me," she stuttered, knowing simultaneously   
that she was blushing and could do nothing to stop it. "She's, uh,   
a really brittle diabetic, and she needs her, um, her, um,"  
"Her?" Kevin prompted, internally quaking. Oh my God I must   
have done something wrong. Congratulations, Belles, you've just   
beaten your own personal record for being a complete and total ass!   
Mina scanned Raye's dresser, looking for anything that would   
vaguely resemble medical equipment. She swiped something quickly and   
held it up. "Her insulin pump!" she proclaimed with a grin, and then   
blanched when she realized what was in her hand: a diffuser.  
A 3 year old reading Hebrew could not have been more confused than   
Kevin was at that point. "Isn't that something you blow your hair   
dry with?" he implied. I think my mom has one of those. What's   
wrong with Mina? Did I scare her? Maybe I just suck.   
Mina threw the diffuser over her shoulder, ready to admit defeat   
and try out Plan B, a.k.a., run out of the room at full speed, when   
angelic choirs sang and a ray of heavenly light shone down on the  
object that would undoubtedly save her sorry ass. She picked up   
a flat, yellow plastic case, containing inside two glass vials with   
"Med-tech Pharmaceuticals" stamped on the label, filled with clear   
liquid. Inside, hidden from his view, a pair of contacts floated   
innocuously in the saline solution. Someone, Mina didn't know who,   
had left them in their room and had never bothered to retrieve them.   
Opening it, she faced Kevin. "Sorry, wrong thing. I have to give her   
her insulin," she asserted, hoping that her luck would hold out and   
typical football player-induced dumbness would rub off on the normally   
intelligent Kevin. Her mental clock raced and she prayed that she   
would have enough time to make it to the Senshi before they were   
barbequed. C'mon, c'mon, be a nice boy and buy my cover story!   
Kevin was still a little suspicious, causing a chunk of panic   
to rise in her throat. (I knew I should have stuck with Plan B! )   
Then, to her delight, he nodded. "Let me take it down; you're hurt."   
Oh crap, he's going to get all noble on me.   
"No, that's OK," she said quickly. "I'll do it, Raye's expecting me."  
"Mina." She looked up, and stared directly into his stormy eyes.   
"I don't want anything to happen to you, OK? Stay here, please, for my   
sake."   
"But I-" It was so hard to gaze into those eyes and refuse him   
anything. She softened a little, knowing how confusing this must be   
to him. This is my life in a nutshell; God forbid I would attempt   
a trace of normalcy or anything. And now he has to be dragged along   
with it, too. "Kevin, please, I have to do this." She hopped on   
one foot, sticking the other through the leg of her jeans. "Raye is,   
uh, kind of embarrassed about her situation, and she doesn't want that   
many people to know about it." Oh God that was so lame! She looked   
up and smiled coyly, all the while thinking of all the minutes she had   
wasted trying to dupe him. "Besides, I want to make sure we come back.   
Alone."  
Slowly, slower than a geriatric wheelchair race, he smiled back as   
he processed her innuendo. "You sure you're all right?" She nodded,   
thinking about what a monster she was for tricking him this way.   
"All right. I'll get the keys."  
He stood up, pocketing his keys, and a picture on the wall caught   
his eye. "Mina," he started. "Is that you with Fred Durst?"  
She stopped buttoning her fly long enough to glance over. "Yeah.   
That's me."  
"When did you meet him?"  
She paused, hating this part. In her mind, she thought she sounded   
obnoxious. "I was in two of their videos. I was a Durst girl," she   
said nonchalantly, trying to sound like she landed on the TRL rotation   
every day.   
His mouth was open. "You're kidding me."  
She pulled her hair back and shrugged on a coat. "Can we talk  
about this later, please? Raye might collapse and die any second now."  
Five minutes later, she was fidgeting in her seat and wondering   
why she had commissioned the only driver at Bryce who actually stopped   
at every stoplight. C'mon, c'mon! Oh no, don't tell me he's not   
going to run this yellow!   
"What?" she said after she realized that he had asked her a   
question.   
"Oh, nothing, I was just wondering why Raye is embarrassed   
to be a diabetic."  
"Well, um, she's kinda worried that people would treat her   
different if they knew…" She trailed off, wondering if Kevin   
had seen Raye quaff down a box of Corn Pops in the past, thus   
annulling her cover story and screwing her, hardcore.   
Kevin coasted to a stop at the corner of Boris, Mina up   
and ready to just jump out of the car and start running at that   
point. People were sprinting by, some screaming, and all desperate   
to be as far away as possible. Kevin wondered if their place had   
gotten busted, but quickly changed his mind when he realized that   
they weren't "Oh sh** here are the authority figures" running, but   
"I'm going to die" running.   
"Wonder what's going on," he said. There was no response in   
return but the slam of a car door. Mina was out and running   
towards his building.   
"What the hell?" he shouted, genuinely agitated. What the   
hell was she doing, running to the source of the panic instead   
of away from it. Did she have a death wish?   
He did something that Kevin Belles had never actually   
endeavored: he audibly growled. Throwing the car into park,   
he jumped out of the car and ran after her, not caring that   
the engine was left running. All that echoed in his head   
was that if Mina ever got to the source of the mayhem, she   
would be in mortal danger.   
She had disappeared in the crowd, but a girl with long   
blond hair adorned with a big, silly red bow and a short skirt   
was the only person heading towards his building, so he followed   
her. "Hey!" he shouted, but she didn't even turn. Instead, she   
leapt onto a chain link fence and clawed over it in a blink of   
an eye, leaving an amazed Kevin trying to comprehend how someone   
could jump a fence that quickly with her particular choice of footwear.   
Wow, she's like Jackie Chan in high heels. She had practically   
catapulted over it, like a gymnast, and the image of her hanging   
suspended in the air before she landed stuck in his head in rewind.   
He reached the fence a second later, taking more time   
to climb it, and the next thing he knew, he was falling. He   
landed heavily twelve feet down on concrete, and took a few   
seconds to recalibrate from the shock of the fall. How the   
hell did she land on her feet? he absently thought, shakily   
climbing to his feet and trying to block the general ache one   
gets when they land on their ass from twelve feet up. He quickly   
surveyed the alleyway, like a battle scene, and the scene in front   
of him hit like a sledgehammer.   
The blond girl he had been chasing, and several others   
occupied the alley between the two buildings. Upon closer examination,   
she appeared to be in some kind of uniform, and the inane reference   
that Kevin made in his head was that she was a "Sailor Cheerleader."   
She was showing a lot of leg, that was for sure, as were four others,   
including another blond with the wackiest hairstyle he had seen   
outside of Ashbury and Haight. It looked like the two big, poufy   
buns on top of her head were puking streams of hair. There was a   
guy wearing a top hat and tails, with a white mask covering half his   
face. That guy's definitely gay. The rest of the odd bunch were   
all dressed in military uniforms, some charcoal gray, and the others   
a gray so light it was almost white. All except one had long hair.   
Oh, yeah, they're homos.   
Mars almost had an aneurysm when Venus leaped over the fence.   
"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded. "You're injured, or   
have you forgotten that?"  
"But I thought-Oh my GOD!" she screamed, noticing for the first   
time that the alley contained not just a youma but also Jay, Matt,   
and Zach, also in uniforms, and with longer hair.   
"What's going on?" Another voice said from behind her. She   
spun around, facing a very confused Kevin, looking strangely out   
of place among the fukus and Generals.   
Jadeite risked the wrath of Zoycite and screamed, "KEVIN!   
GET OUT OF HERE!"  
How does that guy know my name? Kevin wondered.   
Venus was the first to see Jedite emerge from the shadows,   
slinking behind Kevin like a predatory cat. "LOOK OUT!" she screamed,   
knowing her warning would come to late the moment it passed her lips.   
A blast of energy hit Kevin from behind, erupting upon impact   
and knocking him facedown onto the concrete. He lay there,   
paralyzed, barely able to breathe from currents of energy still   
passing through his stunned body. He gasped once, trying to   
regain feeling in his legs.   
Hell broke loose. Venus, half-blinded by tears, launched   
a fierce attack with no other purpose than to peel off Jedite's   
face. "LOVE-ME CHAIN!" she screamed, the golden chain reeling off   
her hand and slamming into Jedite, knocking him almost clean through   
the fence.   
"Good shot!" Mars called, lining up a shot at Nephlite's   
head. "Flame Sniper!"   
Nephlite ducked, and the flaming arrow hit the youma instead,   
and it exploded into a million plastic pieces. The Senshi cheered,   
thinking that they had gained the upper hand.   
"Oak Evolution!" Jupiter merrily called, spraying the area   
with her deadly leaves. The Dark Lords leaped out of the way,   
subsequently abandoning their hostages.   
"Holy crap what's going on?" Nephrite scrambled towards Tuxedo   
Mask, ineffectively trying to keep his newly grown hair out of his eyes.   
Zoicite raced around, dodging the balls of energy that Nephlite   
was throwing. "AAH! That one almost hit me!" He stopped short as a   
purple boomerang passed within inches of his chest.   
Jadeite stood in the middle of the battlefield, his arms stubbornly   
crossed. "OK, I must be having a flashback," he announced, seemingly   
unaware of the lethal blasts of energy that shaved within inches of   
his being. "But I never even did acid, so one of you motherf***ers   
must have slipped it into my beer. Who was it?" He ignored the ice   
crystals that sailed over his head, not knowing or not caring that   
if they hit their intended mark, he would be short one skull. "This   
isn't funny anymore, assholes, who fed me acid? I'm not f***ing around   
anymore. Tell me now and I promise I won't beat the sh** out of you."   
Kevin was still lying on the ground, trying to regain his motor   
control, when he felt a light but strong grip tugging on his arm.   
Summoning the last of the paltry energy supply his body contained, he   
lifted his head to see who his rescuer was. It was the same blond girl   
he had been chasing, except now he knew she was one of those superhero   
cheerleaders, and that the alley next to his building had been turned   
into an all-out battleground.   
"Can you stand?" she asked, all business, her eyes gleaming with   
concern. She had the same deep pools of blue as Mina. Mina…  
She might be in trouble, and here he was, getting his ass kicked by   
some weird bad-guy army. "Have you seen, a blond girl?" he choked out,   
painfully shoving one hand underneath him and lifting his body into a half   
push-up. "I lost her, and I-I think she might be in trouble."  
She smiled, her eyes containing the wisdom of a thousand Galileo's.   
"Yes, I saw her, and she's out of danger," she said. "Now let's do   
the same for you."  
She had lifted him halfway up before something heavy thudded   
on his back, and knocked the blond heroine away. Malachite was standing   
on his back, a purple boomerang clutched in his fist, which he held over   
Kevin's neck like a machete. "You know what I want, Sailor Moon," he   
growled. Sailor Moon gasped and clutched at her brooch, at the   
Silver Crystal. "Hand it over now or it's lights out for Venus's boy toy."  
"Speaking of boy toys," Mars spat. "BURNING MANDALA!"  
Zoycite squealed as the flaming rings singed his long, curly   
hair. "Malachite! That stupid little Sailor Brat almost scalped meee!   
Waste him!"  
Malachite raised the boomerang, intent on fulfilling his lover's   
wishes, when, yet again, a silver cocoon that enveloped his hostage   
blinded him, the light too bright to look directly at. He leapt off his   
back, staggering backwards and shielding his eyes from the pocket   
of silver illumination.   
Nephrite started clapping, the sound muffled by his white gloves.   
Kevin's hair shot down his shoulders, a silver curtain the   
same color as the radiance that surrounded him. The gray uniform   
was not far behind, but this one was equipped with a cape, which   
unrolled from his shoulders all the way to his feet.   
He couldn't swallow or talk from the horrible pain in his neck,   
because a thousand years ago Kunzite's throat had been cut, and he   
had bled to death in front of his three friends, the first one of   
them to die.   
He raised his eyes, and the blinders that prevented mortals   
from seeing the true identities of the Senshi fell away. Mina was   
there, she was one of them, as was Raye, and Lita, and Amy, and Serena   
was the one with the goofy pigtails. Darien was there, he was the   
guy in the nancy-boy tuxedo and Halloween mask, and there was Jay,   
standing amongst the carnage like he was immune to death or something.   
Matt seemed to be having trouble with his long hair, which defied all   
laws of physics since only three hours before, when he had last seen   
him, it didn't even hit his ears. Same went for Zach, who seemed to   
have lost his glasses and gained hair all on the same token. Ah, speaking of…  
Kunzite reached up and touched his own long hair, squeezing   
the strands with his own fingertips, realizing that tangible matter   
had appeared from seemingly nowhere, and at the same time, the stubborn   
notch in his psyche disbelieved its very existence. He thought he stood   
there for an incredibly long time, seesawing through the mental benders   
he had created for himself, but in reality, he had less than five   
seconds of pondering before being knocked out of the deadly path   
of a swirling ball of energy.   
"Close one!" Mars shouted in his face, visibly agitated.   
"Jeez, you better get your ass moving before you lose it!"   
Jadeite still stood stationary in the middle of everything   
like an ass. "All right, new idea here. I'm dreaming; I must be   
motherf***ing dreaming. Someone wake me up. Ahora."  
"I'll give you dreaming," Zoicite said tiredly. He darted out   
and grabbed Jade by his collar and hauled him to the sidelines, presumably   
to safety. Malachite noticed their mad scramble.  
He smiled, although the expression contained so much malice   
it could hardly be called a smile. Their entrance was impressive,   
but so far none of the newly formed Generals had done anything productive   
but dodge out of the way. He sheared his boomerangs out of the   
air, took careful aim, and launched them, one each catapulting towards   
Jadeite's and Zoicite's respective heads.   
Kunzite was still dazed, but not dazed enough that he missed   
something purple, sharp and glowing hurtling towards two of his   
friends. He unconsciously lifted his hand, although his arm felt   
as heavy as lead, and uncurled his fingers slowly, like they were   
underwater. "No," he whispered, and something, something physical   
flurried down his arm and jumped invisibly out of his fingertips.   
He felt its weight leave his body.   
An energy dome, glowing faintly white in color, popped up   
and engulfed Jadeite and Zoicite within, like a tent, and Malachite's   
boomerangs ricocheted off them with a loud, almost metallic clang.   
Zoicite's jaw dropped open underneath, since only two seconds   
before he had been ready to make peace with Yahweh.   
"Oh," Sailor Moon breathed, her eyes shining. "He can do   
it, too."   
Venus smiled, and then laughed as she poured her yellow   
light out of her hands. "He can! Oh my gosh, he can do it, too!"  
Nephrite crunched his face up. "I could do that, I just   
don't want to."  
Kunzite dropped his hand to his side, and the dome vanished.   
The Dark Lords' faces were masks of amazement and horror, and they   
drew back.  
"You're not going anywhere!" Zoicite shouted, feeling the same   
presence in his own body rush down his arm and leap out, free. It   
came out in the form of gleaming ice crystals, three of them, whistling   
as they cut through the air. Nephlite and Zoycite dropped to their   
knees, and the shards passed over them and shattered against the brick   
wall like fine china.  
Jupiter whooped and sizzled the air with her electricity.   
"How does it feel now, you candy-ass!" she screamed at Zoycite, who   
looked as though he was going to vomit. "Sucks when you're on the losing   
team, huh?"  
"I've never been on the losing team, Sailor Slut," he said   
flippantly, gathering his shattered evil wits together. He levitated   
a few feet in the air and launched a heavier attack of his own: the   
ice crystals he threw were the size of railroad spikes.   
"NO!" Nephrite cried, launching something of his own. A white   
comet flew out of his hands, and the recoil threw him backward so hard   
he found himself airborne. The comet streaked through the air, leaving   
the smell of ozone, and nearly obliterated Jupiter as it wiped out the ice.   
She ran over where Nephrite had landed on the concrete.   
"Thank you," she said, her eyes glittering. "Are you OK?"  
"I think I broke my coccyx," was the painful reply.   
Jadeite was pissed. In this dream, every one of his friends had   
near-blasted their evil twins into bad-guy hell, and so far all   
he had done was jump around waving his arms and squawk warnings.   
He had to waste something, anything, just so Raye didn't think he   
was the World's Most Useless Man.   
"Yo, Nephrite," he yelled, and was immediately surprised.   
Did I say Nephrite? I meant to say Matt. Nephrite was almost   
as startled to respond to his name, as Jadeite was to say it. "How   
the hell did you do that?"  
"I don't know, you just feel it," Nephrite said, cranky after   
his spectacular air ballet left him with a goose egg forming on the   
back of his skull. "It comes out of your hands."  
Jadeite extended both hands. Above his head, fire and lightening   
and a swirling yellow disk clashed with ice and black lightening and   
those damn purple boomerangs. He squinched his eyelids shut and   
tried to blank his mind. This usually works in movies.   
Venus heard Mars swear from fifteen feet away, despite the heavy,   
heavy background noise. "What is he doing?" Mercury asked, noticing   
Jadeite's inactivity for the first time.   
"Being his own idiotic self," Mars growled, mentally swearing to   
toast his ass herself if he kept up with the macho BS.  
"C'mon!" Jadeite muttered. So far, nothing had happened besides   
that his arms were getting heavy. He dropped them a little, and they   
just got heavier. Hey wait. He felt pressure build up in his   
fingertips, heavy to the point where he foolishly thought his fingers   
would crush under the pressure, and then it leapt out, spraying the air   
with curly white energy, like smoke. The tension flew out of his body   
as the smoke did, relaxing him to the point where he gracefully passed   
out.   
Sh*t. was his last conscious thought.   
Malachite and Jedite nearly got blasted by the white smoke   
that Jadeite released, but the escaped by levitating in the air.   
"You haven't seen the last of us," Malachite snarled, and along with   
the other three, vanished into thin air.  
"HEY! THAT'S IT?" Zoicite yelled to the empty air. "Come back,   
I have more ass kicking to do!"  
Tuxedo prodded Jadeite's unconscious body, and looked up at Sailor   
Moon. "He's all right, just out cold. Wonder what happened."  
He felt someone touch his shoulder lightly, and he turned.   
Kunzite, his face paper-white, looked at that point more Kevin than   
anything else. "Darien?" he whispered.   
"Yes?"  
"It's story time."   
  
  



	7. 7

***************************************************************  
  
  
  
Part 7…this part kinda sucks but the next part will be better   
I promise. I don't own any brand names either….let's remember   
that I don't own anything except lots of debt…oh yeah and I've   
decided that everything will be explained in the next STORY I   
write, which should be roughly in the next fifteen years, so   
if everything isn't cleared up in this chapter, it isn't you.   
Uh, just for the record, i don't hate anyone, least of all   
gay people. Comments always appreciated, b/c i must have  
screwed up somewhere. Flame me, already! Thanks to everyone   
who helped i can't list your names b/c i think i have carpal  
tunnels.   
  
  
  
"Things are falling down on me.   
Heavy things I could not see." --Phish  
  
************  
She looked at each of them in turn, her gaze slithering   
from one face to the next, and as poisoning and merciless as   
her very nature. Her hands were so tightly clasped that veins   
and tendons leapt out from under the papery skin, giving her a   
more skeletal appearance than the one she usually carried. "Are   
you sure it was them?" she asked again, still not believing,   
needing to hear it again.   
Malachite spoke for them all. "Yes," he replied, supplying   
no further explanation.   
"How?" Beryl ignored them, ignored the rage that was   
pouring out of her mind and threatening to overflow, and stood   
up. She stared into space, seeing her face again, the face   
that had tortured her for thousands of years and would   
torture her for a thousand more. It was because of her   
that she hid like a rat in a wretched corner of the universe,   
unbeknownst to all but five human persons, instead of seated   
in glory. It was because of her disgustingly innocent daughter   
that she lost Endymion before she even had him. The beautiful   
face that bounced in her mind's eye smiled victoriously,   
wise with the secret of her triumph. Beryl wanted to scream   
her frustration. Her fingernails cut into her palms, leaving   
little half-moon cuts in her flesh.   
"Serenity," she hissed. "What have you done?"  
************  
  
Serena pressed her body closer to Darien's chest, the   
beer in her stomach churning like a clothes dryer, too uneasy   
to sleep. Her mind swam with infinite possibilities, each as   
improbable as the next. She hated sleeping in unfamiliar   
rooms, too, especially when post-partying nausea set in.   
"Darien?" she whispered in the foreign darkness.   
"Hmm?" he mumbled drowsily somewhere close to her ear.   
She pulled her head towards his voice.   
"Do you remember?"  
Silence. From the living room, Lita squealed laughter   
and Raye shouted something and started stomping. Darien took   
a heavy breath, and said, "Yes."  
"What?"  
"Everything. No, not everything. I remember growing   
up with them around me, they practically my brothers. I remember   
what they were like, how they talked, their personalities,   
how much I loved to be around them, I even remember how Jadeite   
used to shuffle cards…then nothing. I don't remember anything   
about the fall of the Moon Kingdom, or anything even before   
that. It's like my brain just stopped."  
"But how can they be here…and there? In the Negaverse?"   
"I don't know Serena. I'll call Luna and Artemis tomorrow.   
Maybe they'll know something." He smoothed one hand over   
the flyaway hairs on top of her head, and the corners of his   
mouth upturned and he kissed her on the swirl where all her   
strands met together. "Go to sleep hon, we'll figure out   
everything in the morning."  
"OK," she agreed, her jaws almost splitting apart from   
the impact of her yawn. Her eyelids fell shut.  
The door barged open, throwing dim yellow hallway light   
in the center of the room. "I'm going under them," Jay's   
voice insisted. He crossed the space between the door and   
the bed in a few seconds and flung himself on the squealing   
mattress.   
"No way! If I sleep on top of the covers I'm going to   
freeze," Zach protested, pulling Jay off by one leg. A mad   
scramble ensued for possession of the comforter.   
"Jay, will you shut up? Serena and Darien are trying to   
sleep!"   
"I'm not sleeping under the covers with you; you're   
evil twin's a flameball!"  
"F*** you d***head; I'm not gay!" His voice was so   
insistent he practically spat.   
"Yeah whatever."  
"Fine! You sleep with Darien and I'll sleep with Serena."  
"No deal," Darien said out loud.   
Zach thought for a moment. "OK, how 'bout we sleep   
head to toe? Then we can both get under the covers and   
still be considered non-gay. Not that there's anything wrong   
with that."  
"You can still grope me head to toe," Jay muttered,   
resigning and tossing a pillow to the foot of the bed.   
"Fine. Just don't be snoring all friggin' night."  
Twenty minutes later, Serena had her head stuffed   
under a pillow and Raye was yelling through a door and a   
wall, "WOULD SOMEONE SHUT THAT KID UP?"  
***********  
  
Mina woke without opening her eyes. She turned onto   
her side, pulling the comforter up to her ears and snuggling   
closer into the flannel sheets, and curled into the pocket   
of heat that she had created.   
Wait just one minute. I don't have flannel sheets.   
Her eyes popped open, to yellow daylight streaming   
over navy blue pillowcases. Not hers. Groaning, she sat   
up slowly, choking slightly when the huge gray sweatshirt   
Where did I get this from? she was wearing entangled   
itself around her neck. She stuck her fingers between her  
neck and the neckline and pulled, and inhaled deeply when   
she could breathe again.   
She was in a long rectangular bedroom, long enough   
that the two double beds faced each other with at least   
six or seven feet in between. On the other bed, Raye and   
Amy were sleeping soundly with the clothes they had worn   
the previous night still on, Raye still with her big do-me   
shoes fastened to her feet. Mina smiled at them.   
There was a closet next to their bed, and opposite   
the doorway on her right was a battered dresser and a computer   
on a spindly black computer desk. Various CDs, notebooks,   
phone cords, and other superfluous crap leaked out from under   
the computer desk, like someone had cleaned off the floor   
in a very big hurry. The posters covering the walls ranged   
from Steve Young and Dave Matthews to Carmen Electra and   
John Belushi donning a sweatshirt reading, "College," and   
chugging a bottle of Jack. It was a guy's bedroom.   
She slipped out from under the covers, trying to collect   
what had happened last night. After de-transforming, (a   
process that took Jadeite a little longer than usual since   
he was unconscious and therefore, unresponsive to personal   
coaching) Serena had suggested they sleep on it before they   
answered any questions, and had insisted that Luna and   
Artemis be present for the Big Revelation. Mina suspected   
she was stalling since she had no more idea what had just   
happened than the rest of them. Darien said he had an idea,   
but that was still fuzzy, and the whole idea was scrapped   
until morning. Mina had been ascending the stairs when   
her concussion kicked in again, and she suddenly sat on   
the steps trying to clear the dizziness that had taken   
control of her head. The combination of running, fighting,   
and trying to keep calm around Kevin had taken its toll   
on her weakened state. The last thing she remembered was   
Kevin picking her up effortlessly and carrying her up the   
rest of the stairs, making her feel all of twenty five   
pounds.   
She opened the door slowly, not wanting to wake Raye and   
Amy, and for that matter, the rest of the house. She didn't   
know what time it was, but most likely if it was anytime before   
noon, she would catch some serious flack.   
Lita and Matt were sitting (sitting!) upright on the   
couch, Lita resting her head on his shoulder. By some fluke,   
they were both awake. Kevin was stretched out on the floor,   
a couch cushion shoved under his head in place of a pillow.   
She crept in, waving silent hi's at Matt and Lita.  
"Hey you," Lita said, obviously not caring if she woke   
Kevin or not. Mina's eyes flew open and she waved one frantic   
hand while making the "Shush," sign with the other.   
"Relax," Matt said. "You don't have to worry; Kevin can   
sleep through the friggin' apocalypse. Oh, and watch your feet.   
Our vacuum's kinda sh***y and I don't think I got all the   
glass up yet."   
Mina curled her feet up and looked up at the window,   
fully expecting to see a sheet of plastic or taped-together   
garbage bags covering a gap in the wall where the window used   
to be, and was shocked to see the buildings across the street   
through a pane of glass. "How did you-?"  
"I didn't, Zach did. Turns out he can like, pull things   
out of thin air, anything he wants, so he fixed up the window   
so our landlord doesn't lay the smackdown on us. Unfortunately,   
he can't pull benjamins out of his ass, so I have no use for   
him."  
Mina smiled. "What time did you two wake up? And where   
is everyone?"  
Lita and Matt smiled at each other, sharing some   
inside joke. "We didn't go to bed yet," Lita announced,   
checking her watch. "And it is now, eleven-thirty."  
"May I ask, WHY?"  
Matt rubbed one side of his face and yawned. "Lita   
has never seen 'Dazed and Confused' before. I couldn't   
let her live with that dishonor any longer."  
"I have officially been awake for twenty seven consecutive   
hours, thank you very much," Lita giggled. "And I'm   
not tired yet." Even before she noticed the dark circles   
forming underneath the brunette's eyes, Mina knew that   
she was lying. They had way too many caffeine-filled   
sleepovers at Raye's for her not to notice the fatigue   
buried away under a veneer of giddiness.  
"You OK?" Matt asked. "How's the head?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." Not entirely true, since her   
temples were receiving sharp lances of pain whenever she   
blinked her eyes or swallowed, or breathed, or for that matter,   
moved.   
Lita whistled, long and low. "You're going to get it   
from Raye so bad! She is majorly pissed that you showed up to   
fight with a concussion."  
Mina choked, holding her palms up. "What was I supposed   
to do! You guys sounded the alarm, and I thought you were in   
serious trouble, and I just couldn't sit there, and be like,   
'Oh, my head kinda hurts, so I guess my friends will just   
have to die this time.'" Her pretty faced twisted into   
intense sorrow, something that a girl her age should know   
nothing about, and Lita reciprocated the expression. Matt   
knew then, that all five girls hid this fear from the world   
but carried the enormous weight of it every day, the fear   
that each day would be their last. They were a team in   
every sense of the word, and would probably cease to exist   
if one fell and the others went on living, not knowing if   
they alone could have saved their friend. It was eating   
them alive inside, and in seeing it pass from one girl to   
the other, Matt knew that he would become a part of this   
cycle, the terrifying fear for the life of the other. It   
was like being in war. Any semblance of a normal life was   
gone from here on in, and Matt wondered why he squandered   
his freedom while he had it.   
I know better now.   
"Can I use your bathroom?" Mina asked politely,   
tugging at the end of her sweatshirt, which read, "Moore   
Monarchs," with a giant red M in the middle. "And where   
did I get this?"  
"Yes you may use the jake, I really didn't expect   
you to pee on my carpet, and that's Kevin's, which might   
explain why it hits your knees. He gave that to you after   
you said you were cold."  
"I said I was cold?"  
"You said a lot of things, kid. You told Raye she   
better take off your shoes before you beat her over the   
head with them."  
Mina flushed, not knowing if Matt was telling the   
truth or busting on her. She scurried to the hallway and   
the bathroom.  
She used the bathroom and washed her hands, and   
considered taking a quick shower until she noticed the total   
lack of necessary bathroom products which would transform   
her from a stringy-haired, grime-encrusted creature into   
a tolerable-smelling, somewhat hygienic human. All that   
lined the ceramic was a blue bar of that soap that smelled   
inherently male and a lone bottle of Pert. Oh God this   
is a male bathroom. They don't even have conditioner!"   
She momentarily panicked at the prospect of Kevin seeing   
her in all her morning-after battle glory, and was halfway   
to picking up the Irish Spring when she realized that having   
someone carry you up the stairs while out cold ranked first   
on the indignity scale, and no smell produced by the human   
body could overshadow it.   
She met Serena on the way out. "You're up already?"   
Mina asked, genuinely surprised that Serena was up and   
moving before sunset.   
Serena rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Yeah! Zach   
snores so loud I couldn't stay asleep for more than five   
minutes." The only time Serena was a light sleeper was   
when she was recovering from a particularly heinous night.   
"I couldn't sleep the entire night and my mouth feels all   
mucky because I don't have a toothbrush and now my head   
huuuuurts!"   
Mina sighed; Serena's ability to whine was magnified   
rather than diminished by her lack of sleep. "Did you call   
Luna and Artemis?"  
"Oh I'll do it later, it's not like they're going   
anywhere. Want to grab some Burger King for breakfast?"  
"It's eleven thirty already, they're serving lunch   
now." Mina ran one hand through her hair, and wished   
fervently for a brush-like object to untangle her snarls.   
Her head hurt too, probably more so than Serena's, and   
quite frankly, she was more than a little cranky herself.   
"Besides, there are four guys that are going up our butts   
for an explanation on just what the hell happened last   
night, and I have absolutely no clue what I'm supposed to   
tell them." She leaned on the sink, and the puddle of   
water pooling on the ledge soaked into her jeans. "What   
do you remember about the Generals during the Silver Millennium,   
besides that fact that they must have existed then because   
they're here now? You were the princess, did you ever   
meet them?" She squirted a line of Crest on Serena's index   
finger, and then did the same for her own.   
Serena furrowed her brow with thought, and after a   
few seconds said, "No, nothing. All I remember is Endymion.   
And you guys. Other than that-" she shrugged. "Diddly-squat."   
She stuck her toothpaste-y finger in her mouth and started   
rubbing.   
"We're so effed," Mina said, rinsing the minty residue   
from her mouth and left Serena alone in the bathroom. She   
could hear Zach merrily snoring away through the wall, and   
Jay drowsily moaning, "Shut up! Shut up!"   
She smiled; Jay must have fully recovered from his girly   
fainting episode. In the living room, Lita was holding a   
wrinkled Hefty Easy-Close open while Matt circled around   
collecting empties and throwing them in. He picked a can off   
the table and shook it. "Hey, this one still has about an   
inch left." He threw back his head and gulped down the   
remains of the can.  
Lita and Mina were frozen in disgust. "I'm just going   
to pretend you didn't do that," Lita said, suppressing her   
gag reflex.   
Mina folded her legs up and sat down on the floor   
next to Kevin, who was thankfully unconscious during the   
entire grisly episode. "Like, there might have been someone's   
herpes-infested backwash in there! How can you even?" She   
shuddered.   
"What?" Matt said. "I'm not going to waste beer! And   
I like the taste of herpes."  
"There is a big difference between wasting beer and   
infecting yourself with Ebola." She rested her back against   
the couch, and watched Kevin's huge pectorals rise and   
fall with each breath. His light eyelashes fanned over   
his face, and Mina was taken with how young he looked   
while he was sleeping. She resisted the urge to run her   
hand across his face, to feel the its heat and texture.   
He mumbled something too low for her to hear. "What?" she   
asked, leaning closer to him.   
"Oh, he's not talking to you," Matt explained, sweeping   
empty cans off the counter and into the twisted garbage   
bag. "He's completely gone; he talks in his sleep."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Sometimes he'll answer you, but he has no   
idea what he's saying. We were messing around with him   
last night. Hey, Kevin!" he yelled the last word inches   
from Kevin's face.  
"Wha?" He didn't open his eyes when he responded.  
"Can I borrow your car? Lita and I are going to   
drive it into a lake somewhere; do you think you'll mind?"  
"No," Kevin said, in the same flat, hypnotized voice.   
Mina giggled softly.   
"Kev, I think you're mom's hot. Mind if I do her?"   
Jay has appeared out of nowhere, nearly sending Mina into   
a double coronary. He had snuck into the living room with   
so much stealth that the air didn't even move to let his   
body through. He rubbed one hand through his severely messy   
hair and flopped onto the couch.  
"No."  
Lita could not stop laughing. Her knees buckled as   
she latched onto the counter to keep from falling. "Kevin,   
Mina peed in your bed last night. Do you care?"  
Kevin's lips moved for several seconds before he   
answered. "She was at the top of the stairs…waiting for   
me."  
The four of them exchanged confused glances. "Who   
was, Kev?" Jay asked.   
"Minako."  
Mina shook her head. "I was?"  
"I think he's just dreaming," Matt said, abandoning   
his bulging garbage bag and standing over Kevin's slumbering   
form. "The next words out of his mouth are going to be,   
'And she was making out with Shannon Elizabeth,' and quite   
frankly, as much as I would like to see that in real life,   
I'm not quite ready to hear it quite yet." He snatched   
the cushion out from under Kevin's head. His skull cracked   
against the floor. "Hey, big guy, wake up. You're sharing   
your sick fantasies with everyone."  
"OW!" Kevin swung wide and cracked Matt in the ankle,   
hard. "Watch it, d**khead." He sat up slowly, and started   
when he saw Mina. Obviously, he was also suffering from "Oh   
my God what the hell do I look like?" syndrome.   
Lita clanged around in the kitchen, opening cabinets   
and rifling around. "Anyone want breakfast? I'm jonesin'   
for an omelet." She turned and flashed her patented Colgate   
smile at Matt, dissolving him into a Silly-Putty shell of   
his former self.  
"Ah," Jay said. "That sounds good, but unfortunately,   
all we have is Easy Mac and beer. If you can figure out a   
way to make an omelet out of Easy Mac and beer, you will   
be cooler than Martha Stewart and earn utmost respect in   
my eyes."   
Lita made a face. "Unreal. How do you guys keep   
from starving?"  
"Like I said, Easy Mac and beer. If you crush up   
a Flintstones vitamin in it, then you satisfy your RDA,   
too." He lifted his eyebrows. "It becomes health food."  
"That is utterly disgusting."   
"How 'bout someone makes a Burger King run?" Serena   
emerged from the hallway. "I'm STARVING! And not for   
fortified Easy Mac and beer."  
"I hear that," Matt agreed, shaking another half-empty   
can. Lita shot him a death look, and he sheepishly dropped   
it into the garbage pile. "Chill! I wasn't going to drink   
it!"  
"I will!" Jay shouted, jumping over Kevin's body and   
intercepting the orphan can.  
Zach bolted out of the bedroom, his hair sticking   
up at strange angles and his eyes wild. He was missing   
his glasses, too. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?"  
"Easy, buddy, we didn't get to that part yet," Matt   
reassured him, picking up a pack of Camels and sticking   
one in his mouth. "We're getting BK first. Who's taking   
orders?"  
"I'll do it," Serena volunteered.   
Amy stumbled out of the hallway, her eyes bleary.   
"Hi," she whispered, slumping on the couch with the vigor   
of a slug on downers.   
"Amy!" Zach rushed to her side. "Are you feeling   
OK?"  
She graced him with a tiny smile. "Yes. Thank   
you for taking care of me."   
"What happened?" Mina asked immediately. Amy was   
frighteningly pale, and listless beyond belief, but   
the way she was looking at Zach lit up her eyes until   
they positively glowed.  
"All that Woodchuck hit her around two, and she   
got kinda sick," Matt explained.   
"However, for the record, she did not puke!" Jay   
bounced on the cushions, probably nauseating the inhabitants.   
He grabbed Amy and bear-hugged her. "That's my girl, Ames!   
First time drinking and she doesn't even spew. This girl   
can handle her s**t!"  
Matt fished a lighter out of his pocket and was   
about to strike it when he noticed the horrified look   
covering Lita's face. "What's wrong?" he asked innocently,   
striking up a flame.   
"You," She seemed to have a hard time getting   
the words out. "You, you-smoke!" Gross he smokes!!!   
Why does the only decent guy I've met in a friggin eon   
feel the need to breathe fire, for crying out loud! Oh,   
he loses definite points!   
Matt must have realized he was losing valuable points,   
because he froze in a manner previously seen in deer   
when they stepped in front of cars and caught a view   
of the headlights. He thought for a few seconds, the   
heat from the lighter practically burning a hole in his   
thumb, and one could almost see the gears working beneath   
his skull. "I don't smoke," he said finally. "Kevin   
does!"  
Shocked heads turned to Kevin, who caught the thrown   
lighter and pack in one giant hand. His expression   
clearly read: "What the hell are you talking about?   
Speak, before I beat the crap out of you."  
Matt shot him a "help me" look. "He's a fiend,   
can't keep away from them," he jabbered. "And he plays   
football too, can you believe it? I swear, Kev," he   
clapped his friend on the back and forced a tight laugh.   
"You've got your priorities messed WAY up!"   
Kevin simply stared at him, incredulous. Matt   
leaned closer and hissed, "Play along, d**khead!"   
"Oh yes," Kevin deadpanned. "How did I forget?   
I smoke all the time, of course."  
"You're a funny guy, Belles!" Matt said, laughing   
too loudly and artificially.   
"Yeah, Stone Cold Kevin's just a laugh and a half,"   
Jay quipped.   
Matt changed the subject quickly. "So who wants what?   
I'm feelin' it's a Whopper day."  
**********  
  
Luna sprang onto the bottom rung of the metal fire   
escape and began jumping from rung to rung on her way to   
the third floor. "Artemis?" she called, after   
she realized that her white-furred companion had   
not been following closely behind.   
"Up here," was the response. Luna craned her neck   
up, and saw Artemis leaping from branch to branch on   
the giant tree in front of the building. He prepared   
himself, and then attempted a valiant leap onto the fire escape.   
He would have fallen to his kitty death if Luna hadn't darted   
out and caught him by the paws.   
"Why must you always show off?" she grouched at him. She   
had been planning to spend her day curled on top of   
Darien's radiator, with her catnip-stuffed mouse, dreaming   
of a beach in some tropical climate that was NOT   
northern California, but Darien had called at an obscene   
hour and told them to report to 22 Boris St, apt   
2C, ASAP. For what, she did not know. However, she   
was less than pleased to be trouncing around a place   
generally known on campus as the "jock house."  
"Sorry," Artemis said, running up to   
the nearest window. "Nope, not this one. All   
that's in here are a bunch of empty cups and a   
few passed-out guys."  
Luna crept up to the next window, which seemed   
uncommonly clean and shiny as compared to the rest.   
Inside, she saw her Senshi sitting around the somewhat   
grimy living room, and Darien too, and those four   
guys that bore striking resemblances to their mortal   
enemies. They were sharing a meal of Whoppers and   
fries and onion rings, and Luna hoped that Darien   
had remembered to get her one. Amy, Serena, Lita,   
and Mina were each holding a fan of greasy playing   
cards, and seemed to be getting coached from the guys.   
"When are Luna and Artemis getting here?"   
The one who looked like Zoycite asked. She could   
barely hear him through the glass. "Throw that one   
out, Ame."  
Darien checked his watch. "Any second now, I   
think. I told them to be here in an hour."   
Malachite's look-alike wiped off his mouth and   
asked, "Do they know where to park? I think the   
street's full, they'll have to park in the alley.   
No don't!" he began, but Mina had already added   
her card to the pile and gave him a "What?" look.   
"That was the five!" Amy smiled and cleared the pile   
off the tabletop.   
Oh, we won't have a problem with that. And   
I don't think Artemis would like to see how close   
you're sitting to Mina, young man. She tapped   
gently against the glass with one paw.   
Darien stood up and opened the window for   
them to enter. "Aw, look, Darien brought his   
kitties!" Jay leapt to his feet and began harshly   
massaging Luna's face while talking to her in baby   
talk. "Look at you kitty kitty kitty!"   
Mina closed her eyes and silently groaned.   
He's in for one hell of a surprise.   
Luna pried her face out between Jay's palms   
and cleared her throat, trying desperately to regain   
some of the dignity lost to her when treated like an   
SPCA Pet of the Week. "Artemis, over here!" she called.   
Chaos erupted. Kevin sat straight up like he had   
been electrocuted and had a hard time forcing down his   
mouthful of Whopper. Mina giggled at his expression.   
Matt, who had been throwing back a cold one, choked   
on his beer and began coughing. Zach scooted his   
ass back on the carpet and screamed, "HOLY SH*T THAT   
CAT JUST TALKED!"   
Jay pulled his hand away from Luna and began   
screaming to himself in a flat, somewhat reassuring   
manner. "OK now I KNOW I've dropped acid! I'm   
having another flashback! Or I might have a brain   
tumor! Yeah, that's it, acid and a brain tumor!" He   
began laughing in hysterical hiccups.   
Luna leapt down off the windowsill, and the   
three guys minus Jay picked up and darted into the  
kitchen, scattering the playing cards and food  
wrappers. Matt was still coughing up the beer   
that had trickled down into his lungs. Jay   
remained hammered to the spot, rambling on about   
drugs, brain tumors, and mental illness.  
Artemis entered the apartment and jumped   
onto Mina's lap. "Mina, are you OK? Why did you   
fight last night?"  
"Oh Artemis," Mina stroked his back and fed   
him a French fry. "You sound just like my mom."  
Serena picked Luna up and held her up to the   
three cowering men in the kitchen. "Everyone,   
this is Luna. She's my Guardian cat, and she   
pretty much knows everything, so whenever we get   
stuck she's the one we turn to."  
"Hey what am I, cheap cat food?" Artemis   
protested. "I know just as much as Luna, thank   
you very much, and let's not forget that I was   
the one who awakened Sailor Venus."   
"Yes, how could we forget?" Luna muttered   
wearily. "Everyone, this is Artemis, Artemis,   
this is, well, Darien tells me some interesting   
things about you four."  
"Interesting, yes," Jay repeated. "Interesting.   
Cat talks to me. Interesting."  
Artemis picked his head up. "What's wrong   
with that kid?"  
"Oh, nothing, he's just never seen an animal   
that can talk outside of Sabrina the Teenage Witch,"   
Zach filled in, still cowering in the kitchen,   
but seemingly recovering from the initial shock.   
Luna jumped out of Serena's arms and onto   
the kitchen counter, and circled around Kevin's   
paralyzed body. "Kunzite," she said slowly. Kevin   
stared at her hesitantly. "Yes, yes, I remember   
you now. But you were a few years older then, I   
don't know why you're this young." She looked at   
each of the scared boys in turn, first Kevin, then   
Matt, who was still sporadically coughing, and   
then Zach, who was rubbing his forehead, trying   
to analyze the situation presented, and finally   
Jay, who was still rooted to the same spot in front   
of the windowsill, his eyes as big as dinner plates.   
"Nephrite," Artemis said, joining the party   
in the kitchen. "Zoicite. Jadeite. I remember."  
"Remember what?" Raye interjected.   
"Please enlighten the rest of us."  
Luna shook her head, prompting more gasps from   
the trio. "I don't remember much, but I remember   
you four, you were the guardians of Endymion."  
"Who?" Zach asked, pounding Matt on the back as   
he leaked out his final coughs.   
Serena sighed heavily. "I guess we have to   
start from the beginning, right?" She groaned. "This   
is going to take FOREVER!"  
"First things first," Mina interrupted. "I   
think we might have, a, uh, small problem."  
Amy was all-ears. "What is it, Mina?"  
"Well," she began. "Last night, the Dark Kingdom   
Generals, the bad guys," she clarified before the   
confused gallery. "They saw them-" she pointed to   
the guys. "transform. It's only a matter of time before   
they find out who they are and start busting down   
the doors with their undead army."  
Lita hit Amy on the arm. "Yo, brainiac, why  
didn't you think of this before?"   
Amy scowled, an occurrence that was as rare   
as her blue hair. "For your information, I wasn't  
exactly feeling a hundred percent last night."   
"So what's the game plan?" Darien asked,   
mentally smacking the back of his own head for   
not thinking of this before. They had been screwing   
around for almost ten hours now, and that was   
plenty of time for the Negaverse to start sniffing   
around the campus.   
"I'll put a protection spell on the place."   
Raye rummaged through her purse and pulled out several   
sheets of paper. "That'll stop the Nega-sleaze in   
their tracks. Now, if I remember this correctly…" She  
drifted off the doorway.   
Amy had whipped out her mini-computer/Palm Pilot   
before Raye finished her sentence. "Zach, can I use   
your computer?"   
"Use anything you want."   
She scurried off to the bedroom, complete with   
a foot of cord that she had seemingly pulled out of   
thin air. "Can you help me? I need to hack into the   
university database and change some things around."  
"I was thinking that my help would facilitate   
something more…legal, but sure." He followed her   
into the bedroom, giving the cats a wide berth.   
They settled on the couch, expression ranging   
from perplexed to shocked to absolutely in shock.   
Jay was still staring blankly at the cats: obviously,   
the intrusion in his own universe had sent him   
into a genuine case of shell-shock.   
"OK," Luna said. "I'm starting from the   
top."  
  
**********  
  
Two hours and a pizza later, the house   
was securely under a protection spell, courtesy   
of Raye, and the guys had the basics down, i.e.,   
there was once a Moon Kingdom, they had lived past   
lives and were reincarnations of those lives, the Moon   
Kingdom has fallen, etc. Knowing that the only way that   
the Negaverse would recognize the guys was by a picture or   
description, Amy had pulled up names of deceased university   
students and switched the names under the freshman f**k   
finder and any other picture that they were in. Thus, they   
were temporarily hidden under a veil of obscurity.   
"OK, wait," Matt leaned forward in his chair. "If   
all this is true, which it must be because there is no   
other way to explain last night, then why isn't any of this   
jogging my memory? I mean, if I wasn't there last night,   
I would think that all this is a plot of a comic book or   
something."  
"You don't remember a thing?" Darien asked, the emotion   
in his voice devastatingly obvious. Serena's heart almost   
broke; it meant so much to him that they would remember him   
and the friendship they all shared. Darien was waiting for   
his ship to come, and when it did, it was empty.   
"No." (Kevin.)  
"No." (Matt.)  
"Oh yeah, THAT Moon Kingdom. My family used to take   
vacations there instead of Disney World. Less traffic."   
(Zach, complete with eye roll.)  
"Not a thing. You're lucky I'm sober or I'd be agreeing   
with you," Jay said, grimacing when Darien winced. "Sorry."  
"What do you remember, girls?" Luna asked them.   
"Especially you, Serena. You were the one always sneaking   
down to earth to see Endymion."   
"Or you," Raye said to Mina, the memory dawning on her.   
"You were always going down to get her."  
Mina stared closely at the four guys, trying to find   
a something familiar in their faces that would send her   
mind back a thousand years. She stopped on Kevin, and   
gasped as the voice from a past era spoke to her again.  
"It must be difficult having such a curious   
princess."   
"Was it you?" she said out loud. He frowned.  
"Was it me what?"  
"I don't know," she admitted. And she didn't. She   
didn't remember Kunzite at all; it could have been one of   
the many guards from earth. And her recollection of   
fetching Serena was foggy, at best.   
Luna sensed the confusion in the room, and knew   
that they were stuck in a dead end in Nowhere St. in Got   
Me? U.S.A. "Oh dear, it looks like I'll have to break out   
the heavy artillery," she sighed.  
"I don't like the sound of that," Matt said warily,   
erupting into a yawn. He would have to crash soon; his head   
felt like a helium balloon without a string. However, he   
would stay up for days just to be conscious with Lita, and   
her toothpaste-bright smile and perfect face.   
Luna and Artemis were too busy planning to hear any   
complaints. "What if we used Darien?" Luna asked. Artemis   
lit up.  
"Yeah! If we channel through him and into them…"  
"Channel? Is this going to hurt?" Zach asked, a little   
uneasy. He fingered his straw nervously, not realizing that   
his power was running out of his hands and through it,   
creating new bits of plastic on the end of the original   
until the tube was about a foot long. "The words 'through   
him,' and 'into them,' usually connotation pain of some   
kind…"  
"Shouldn't," Artemis responded simply, and positioned   
himself behind Darien. "Darien, could you stand up?   
Thanks. OK, you guys, position yourself around him in   
a semicircle, let Luna in the middle." They stood up,   
albeit reluctantly from the fear of pain and death, and   
Luna stood in the middle of them, with Darien and Artemis   
behind her. Jay turned to Raye, who was curled on the   
couch in a fetal position.  
"Tell my family I love them. Give all my worldly   
possessions to 4C, but keep the DVD player and my lucky   
bat, Raye. Call it something to remember me by."  
"Moron," she muttered, tucking her head back under   
her arm.   
"Ready?" Artemis asked. They turned to each other   
and shrugged.  
"As ready as we'll ever be," Zach supplied.  
"Into the valley of death," Matt muttered before   
Kevin elbowed him harshly.  
"Here goes." Artemis shut his eyes, concentrating.   
Kevin's skin broke out in goose bumps in response to   
the atmosphere. The air had suddenly thickened, until   
he could feel it brushing over his skin with a liquid-like   
weight. It was hard to inhale. He looked over his   
shoulder, into Mina's enormous blue eyes, her perfect   
pout of lips. She didn't seem to have trouble breathing.   
"I can't, breathe," Matt gasped.   
"Maybe you should stop smoking," Lita supplied from   
the peanut gallery.   
The air congealed even further, until all four guys   
were desperately sucking in shallow breaths, their   
unaccustomed lungs trying to separate precious oxygen   
from the weave of atmosphere and magic, a magic so   
familiar to a people long ago that they needed it as much   
as they needed air, or water, and could breathe it with   
ease. Artemis's crescent symbol began flickering, faster   
and faster like a strobe light, and a beam of gold shot   
out from it and hit Darien in the back of the head. It   
came out of his forehead, shot down into the back of   
Luna's head, and emitted from her crescent moon in four   
branches, hitting the guys in the forehead and absorbing   
into their unconscious.  
Flickers of memories came back to them, piecing   
together images until they became whole and solid.  
They remembered, bit by bit. Small things at first:   
the sound of clanging swords, the white marble castles   
of ancient earth, the smell of air unpolluted by car   
exhaust and factory smokestacks, the gliding hiss of   
playing cards being shuffled.  
They remembered each other, playing together as   
youngsters, studying together in school, training, laughing,   
wrestling, fighting.   
They remembered Endymion.  
Artemis stopped his beam, and the rest shut off like   
a waterfall. They staggered backwards, faces white and eyes   
stunned, heads full of forgotten memories. Zach sat shakily   
on the couch. He looked into Darien's eyes, and it was like   
seeing part of yourself that you thought you left behind.  
"Endy," he said, his face cracking into a grin. The smile   
remained unchanged after a millennium.   
"Endymion," Kevin repeated, his hands shaking. He opened   
his mouth to say more, but his voice failed him.   
Darien's eyes filled partway with tears, but he blinked   
them away before they leaked out. What would his guards   
think of their prince if he broke down and bawled like, well,   
like Serena? "Miss me?" he choked out.  
"ENDYMION!" Jay screamed, lunging at him. For a   
second, Darien thought he was going to attack, but instead,   
Jay grabbed him in a bear hug and lifted his feet off the   
ground.   
"OH MY GOD!" Matt joined in, and so did Zach, until   
the Prince and his Generals were squashed together in a   
group hug, and the whole huddle started jumping up and down.  
"Why didn't you tell us it was you?" Zach bounced   
gleefully.  
"I didn't remember until last night!" Darien said,   
trying to catch his breath between the arms encircling his   
neck and the pure joy stuck in his throat.  
They pulled apart, and hugged again. Jay scooped   
up the cats and pressed them against his face. "I love   
you guys! I don't remember you at all, but I still love   
you! I'm sorry I freaked out before."  
"Argh! Get him off!" Artemis squirmed out of his   
grasp and slipped to the floor.   
"Do I have to like, bow or something?" Matt offered.  
"No," Darien said, secretly wondering if they did   
have to. That would be cool.   
The guys and girls faced each other, a line clearly   
dividing the two sides of the room. "Uh, how come I don't   
remember the Senshi?" Zach said, confused. "You guys   
were supposed to be big-importants way back when."  
"I don't know," Mina said, racking her brain for any   
time that she ever met Endymion's guards. She scrunched   
her face up in a way that Kevin found irresistible. Snippets   
of the Senshi training, the clicking noise her heels made   
against the white stone walkways in the palace, Serenity…   
"AAH!"  
"Don't frustrate yourself," Amy warned. "According   
to my calculations, we've only regained about a third   
of our Silver Millennium memories, and the Generals only   
have about a fourth to work with. It's going to come   
back to us sooner or later."  
"OK," Kevin agreed. "So what do we do about my   
evil twin? How did he come about?"  
"Ah! Easy answer!" Mina said, grinning when all   
eyes reached her. "I have no clue. If you weren't   
standing in front of me right now, I would have sworn   
that Endymion's guards turned to Beryl's side."  
"Oh man," Zach groaned. He looked stricken.   
"What if we're the evil twins? Like, they are the real   
guards and somehow we were made and we're the clones,   
and we're the real bad guys, but we're not, because   
we're on the wrong side, and they're the real ones,   
follow?"  
"Hell no," Kevin grunted, disgruntled at the fact   
that someone was walking around with his face, committing   
felonies and breaking expensive, non-insured things.   
Serena waved their worries away. "I'm sure we'll   
figure it out eventually! OOH I can't WAIT until you guys   
can fight with us! We'll kick some serious ass then!   
No more 'Sailor Moon gets thrown a hundred feet in the   
air and lands in a mud puddle'!"  
"We got your back," Zach said, hugging her from   
behind. "We gotta protect our Prince's woman."  
Lita broke through their conversation with a yawn   
that practically sucked all of the oxygen out of the room.   
She smiled sheepishly when she realized that all eyes   
were on her. "Oh, sorry. I think I'm going to head   
out, I need some serious siesta. Ready to roll, girls?"   
They nodded. "I've got to go to that mixer tonight,"   
Raye said. "And Mina is going to STAY HOME and rest,   
right?" She shot her patented visual daggers at her friend.   
"OK, OK, I get it," Mina resigned, picking up on   
of her shoes and slipping it on.   
"I'll do some research tonight to try and find   
out where the evil Generals came from," Amy supplied.   
"There has to be a scientific explanation for them,   
they couldn't just-"  
"No you're not! You're coming with me tonight!"   
Raye insisted.   
"I've got it Amy," Jay said very matter-of-factly.   
"The next time we run into that good-looking evil guy   
and his three not-so-good-looking comrades, I'll ask him."  
Amy blinked. "What makes you so sure he'll answer   
as opposed to, say, eviscerating you?"  
"I didn't get to that yet; I'm just a rookie."  
"Party at Darien's!" Matt pronounced, throwing an   
arm around Darien. "You don't mind, do you?"   
"Not at all." Unless you throw up.   
"I know how we can celebrate!" Jay said, rushing   
into the kitchen. He rummaged through the cupboards and   
produced two bottles. "You're the Prince of Earth, what   
country do you want to conquer? Me-hico," he held up a   
bottle of tequila. "Or Ruuush-sha?" He waved the bottle   
of Absolut in front of Zach's face.   
"Tonight," Zach said. "The no-alcohol policy starts   
up again for baseball."  
"Yes, I know, that's why we'll get it all in   
tonight." He didn't see Raye roll her eyes to the ceiling.   
"We still have a case of Germany to kill off," Matt   
added, checking the inventory in the refrigerator.   
"What are you talking about? Don't you mean Colorado?"   
Zach got technical.   
Matt assumed an air of a snotty wine connoisseur.   
"Ah, I think that you are presuming that I was talking   
about the mass productive origins of this particular brew,   
but if you can recall, the birthplace of the gold foamy is   
actually sometime in ancient Germania…"  
"You're both idiots," Darien grinned, wondering how at   
one point, he lived somewhat completely without them.   
  
  
***********  
  
"Oh my God I'm WRECKED!" Jay screamed the last word,   
at the same time stumbling over Darien's glass-top coffee   
table, a cardboard tube from a paper towel roll clenched   
in his fist. At one point, he was supposed to clean up a   
beer spill in the kitchen, but had decided instead to play   
"Hit my Friends with a Skinny Tube." "Let's play baseball!"  
"Shut up, Uncle F***er," Matt muttered from the   
floor, where he had been laying for the last hour and a   
half. He was incapable of standing, sitting, or anything   
kind of movement that required voluntary muscles.   
Kevin was stretched out and over Darien's couch,   
holding the Absolut bottle that he had killed half of.   
"If I remember correctly," he started, then stopped for   
a full minute, proving that he probably didn't remember   
correctly. "I was in charge of you a**holes."   
"We salute you, o fearless leader." Zach attempted   
to salute, but instead hit himself in the eye. "OW!"  
They started laughing, hysterically, until they   
were red in the face. "Anyway, like I was saying," Kevin   
stopped again, and repeated what he had just said to   
himself again. "Yeah, OK, um, I was in charge.."  
"Below me," Darien reminded him.  
"Well, of course below you, what the hell? I can   
still kick your ass, Chiba. Anyway, I was in charge   
and…Goddammit I forgot what I was thinking…"  
"Yo, Lita is SO hot," Matt rambled from the floor.   
Darien reached out and deftly plucked the beer can that   
was threatening to tip over out of his hand and set it   
on the table. "Why didn't you tell me you had such good   
connections, huh? You suck." This was the fourth time   
he had brought up her name. "What was her real name   
again?"  
"Makoto."  
"Yeah, I like that." He burped.   
Zach and Jay sat completely upright in Darien's   
recliners, eyeing each other like prizefighters. Darien   
watched them, curious. "One…two…threeSHOOT!" On "shoot,"   
they ferociously yanked the handles and pounded their   
heads back, forcing the chairs into the reclining position.   
Jay had trouble lifting his feet up, ergo Zach won the   
Lay-Z-Boy 500.   
Darien joined in the hysterical laughter, almost   
wetting himself after the fourth and fifth rematch.   
"This one's broke," Jay protested. "Take it back,   
get a refund."  
"It's not broke, you're just slow."  
"Back that up, homo."  
Zach reached over and viciously punched him in   
the shoulder. "Take that back, d***head!"   
"I can't help it if your evil twin bats for   
the Yankees! Yours too, Kev."  
Under normal circumstances, he would have been   
off the couch and beating Jay within an inch   
of his life, but Russia was winning the Battle   
of the Bloodstream and Kevin had no choice but   
to remain immobile. "We gotta find out where   
the big baddies came from, because I sure as hell   
can't remember jack…" Darien noticed that Kevin   
never finished his sentences while intoxicated.   
Something hit Zach out of left field, a sentence,   
and he articulated it before wondering where   
it came from. "We made them."  
Silence, save for the stereo.  
He received incredulous looks from all   
corners of the room. "Yeah that's right, I   
made them. I'm their daddy," Jay said, grabbing   
an unmentionable part of his body.  
"Good call Einstein," Matt mumbled.   
"You guys wait!" They sobered for a   
second and stared at Darien. "Our memories   
are going to come back to us in bits in pieces,   
and we have to go with it if we're going to   
remember anything! Zach, did that just pop   
into your head?"  
"Yeah."  
"What did you mean by it?"  
Zach looked so confused that they would   
have burst into laughter under any other circumstance.   
"I don't know. It just, it just popped in my   
head, like that." He snapped. "I had to say it."  
"OK, you see? Every time we remember   
something, we have to say it, or think about   
it, no matter how stupid! All of these little   
things could add up to something important,   
like the Senshi, or the generals, or," He sighed.   
"The fall of the Moon Kingdom."  
"What happened, anyway?" Matt asked.   
" Do you remember it?"  
Darien plowed through his memories, snapping   
at anything that looked remotely like what he  
wanted. "No, not really. It comes to me   
in scenes, like a movie, except that it skips   
back and forth. I remember Serenity, and   
trying to save her, and." He stopped for a   
second, regrouped. "And how I felt when I   
couldn't."  
They were silent for a few minutes,   
lying in various positions around the room,   
scratching at memories that weren't really   
there and weren't ready to come out. Two of   
Endymion's guards scratched at the dust of   
forgetting, peeling it back and being hit with   
realizations buried underneath as sharp as   
tiny arrows. Suddenly, a scene flashed under   
Kevin's eyelids, and one flashed in Matt's, and   
they both gasped.   
Kevin remembered:  
A glass half full of shimmering liquid   
reflecting the starlight on its surface tipping   
over bursting splashing glass tinkling fluid   
pouring in rills over the WHITE MARBLE STAIR   
the tiny thin clear fragments spraying out in   
an arc a female gasp.   
Matt remembered:  
Dark leaves shiny leaves the sound   
of them rustling together the flaky bark   
under his hands scratching them tiny burns   
of pain rustling swishing hissing up stars   
peeking out from the CANOPY OF LEAVES caressing   
his face as he lifted through them brushing   
feathery knotty trunk a female laughing.   
"A glass broke," Kevin said.  
"I climbed a tree," Matt said.   
Jay sighed, and for a second they erroneously   
thought he was being serious. "OK, great.   
We've established that Nephrite's a tree-hugger   
and Kunzite's a klutz. And we thought we'd   
never get anywhere."  
Groaning, they threw whatever what was   
in arm's reach at him, muttering obscenities.   
It hit Zach again, this time stronger than   
before, providing much more to go on.   
Zach remembered:  
Ripples in dark water his feet bare dragging   
through it leaving currents swirling like smoke   
toes freezing wind blowing his hair his face   
motion back then forth then back then forth   
his feet moving that way through the WATER   
STIRRING rushing over his ankles a hand holding   
his.   
"I don't even know what mine means," he moaned.   
"Don't feel bad Zach, I didn't even get   
one yet," Jay complained. The air was heavy, too   
heavy with seriousness. It was an environment   
that he just couldn't survive in. "So, Kevin, are   
they real?"  
Kevin yawned from his position on the couch,   
the whole couch. "You'll never find out."  
"Anyone want to watch Goodfellas?" Darien   
asked, giving up for the night. I might as well   
get some food, too; they're not going to remember a  
nything else.   
"Hell yes. Bring it on. Ready Zach?   
ONETWOTHREESHOOT!"  
  



	8. 8

Part 8  
******************************************************************  
  
Hi! Sorry this part took forever, News flash, i don't really   
know what I'm doing. Um, i decided at one strategic part to leave  
the whole "f" word in, for two reasons, 1) it adds for effect and  
2) I'm sick of asteriks. So this is rated R, if you are offended  
by swearing, you must be Amish or something. Thanks to everyone  
who emailed me, you don't know what it means. Pass the love on.   
I don't own Sailor Moon, any brand names and Dave Matthews band.   
  
  
So w/o further ado:   
  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Look at me dreaming of you  
All I could hope is to have you  
To have you walking with me  
Laughing so in love we two  
Almost drunkenly I did imbibe of this  
Fantasy of you only…  
Dave Matthews Band  
  
************  
  
Matt brought his cigarette to his lips and inhaled a double   
lungful of carcinogenic smoke, letting it roll around and do a good   
job of poisoning his remaining alveoli. He exhaled, and the   
blue-ish smoke shot up vertically and curled in the cool night   
air, tingeing the black sky gray for the few seconds it existed   
before dissipating.   
He was lying on his back on the skinny metal fire escape;   
letting his feet dangle off the side. A huge chem lab report was   
waiting for him inside, threatening to jump out the window and   
sit on his chest soon if he didn't give it his full attention.   
Whatever. Maybe I'll pay Zach to do it. But he had laid   
out here for hours, eyes cast to the sky, tracing the lines and   
patterns the stars made, just like he had done the previous seven   
nights, while homework and dirty laundry collected in piles roughly   
the size of termite mounds on the floor of his bedroom. It was   
addicting, this divination that was disclosed only to him and   
him alone. Well, not everything was revealed. He had spent   
an entire night trying to read into the past, only to have the   
equivalent of laughter come from the celestial bodies, which   
chided him gently and reminded that they could only reveal   
what was to be, not what had been. The next night he spent   
three fruitless hours hunting for lottery numbers and basketball   
scores.   
It was mostly luck, really. There was so much to happen,   
from so many different people, that finding what belonged to   
him was really a matter of trial and error. He had discovered   
huge amounts of really useless information, and somehow his   
eyes traveled over those lines over and over like a skipping   
CD and stubbornly refused to jump to new revelations. The BIG   
one was still there, the one the stars kept flashing to him   
like those light up arrow roadside signs, warning of him of   
impending danger on a Chernobyl-like scale. Of course, they   
gave him no specific details or dates, just the repetitive   
admonition with the possibility of death and dismemberment,   
practically screaming the urgency, causing a very aggravated   
Matt to shake his fist and scream, "If you really wanted to   
help me, you'd give me some lottery numbers!"  
He could hear Zach on the phone inside. "No, Nana, I'm   
just cold, the window's open, I'm not getting sick…"  
"WHUT?" Matt smiled. Zach's old Jewish grandmother had   
a bit of a volume control problem when it came to phone etiquette.   
"Shut the vindow, whut are you, stupit? You etting enough?"   
Etting?   
"Yes, Nana, don't worry; listen I have to go, I'm meeting   
someone."  
"Who? Izzit a GIRL?"   
"NO! Um, it's, uh, my friend Darien…but listen Kevin has   
to use the phone so I have to go love you Nana bye!" He hung   
up before Nana had a chance to process his hurried sentence.  
Matt smiled; Zach's grandmother was a riot, he especially   
loved it when she would visit and make obscene amounts of food,   
even though it was kosher. She was under the presumption that   
all four of them were dangerously underweight, practically   
malnourished, including Kevin, whom she referred to lovingly   
as the "Catlick," her own variation on the word Catholic.   
He heard Jay stomp his way around the apartment and then   
the jingle of snagged car keys. Those better not be mine.   
"Kevin I'm taking your car."   
"Where?" Kevin was in one of the bedrooms.  
"Raye's dorm. Wanna go?"  
"I have to finish this history paper first, I need an A   
to pull up that D I got on the test."   
"Told you to study that."  
"I did!"  
"And I'm sure the Playstation helped you. I'll tell Mina   
you said hi." The door slammed.  
More footsteps came from inside. "Matt, I'm taking your   
car, OK? I'm heading over Amy's." The door slammed again, prompting   
a yell from the disgruntled neighbors.   
"What is this s***?" Matt grumbled. I don't even have a   
say over my own car? I think Zach should take some of his Bar   
Mitzvah money and buy his own damn wheels. Jay, too. His   
brain, immersed in grouchy hormones, could not process the simple   
facts that Zach's Bar Mitzvah money had probably been blown   
on baseball cards and wrestling figures shortly after he received   
it, and with six children, the Melman family was most likely   
more concerned about things like food, clothing, and shelter   
than equipping each of their progeny with a two-ton piece of   
metal that could potentially injure them.   
He cast his eyes skyward again, wondering lazily if he   
should ask Kevin if he wanted to order food, but decided to get   
back at Zach by eating the rest of the Frosted Flakes. Ha   
ha screw him. "Oh," he said when he caught another star   
message hiding behind a cloud. "Wow."  
After that one, he looked for the others, finally finding   
them. Darien's was the brightest, and Jay's was almost hidden   
behind a constellation, but there nonetheless…  
"Hey." Kevin the verbose climbed through the window, bearing   
two cans of MGD.   
"Hey." Kevin slid down next to him, almost wedging his huge   
body between the building and the metal railing at the same time.   
He held the can out to Matt.   
"Thanks." They popped the tops and laid there in silence.   
"How's that paper going?"  
"I think it's OK. Zach will probably disagree when he gets   
home." He pointed with his can-hand. "What's up there? Any   
basketball scores?"   
"Believe me, I've looked."  
Kevin squinted up at the glowing points of light. "How   
the hell do you do that anyway? All I see are a bunch of stars."  
"Yes, but how many?"  
"Uh, I don't know. A hundred?"  
Matt grinned in the darkness. "That's your problem, my   
fearless leader, you can only see the ones your puny little   
optic nerves can process. I can see thousands, sometimes from   
out of our own galaxy, and they move."  
"They move?" Kevin wondered if he should have withheld   
the gift of beer for Matt's own mental well-being.   
"Yep. When they need to tell me something." He flicked   
his cigarette butt over the side. "Want to know how many kids   
you're having?"  
Drinking from a can while lying on one's back is not the   
easiest endeavor for even the most dexterous of us, and the   
combination of not being one of those people and utter shock   
caused Kevin to slosh beer down his neck. "Do I want to?"  
"It's up to you, buddy. You're having the most out of   
all of us."  
"So two or more."  
Matt squinted. "How you figure?"  
"You said 'kids.'"  
He laughed and brought his can to his mouth. "Can't get   
anything by you, can I, Kev?"  
Kevin remained motionless on his back. "Who are they with?"  
Matt stopped. "Can't tell you that. Some things are better   
left unsaid, it takes the purpose out of life." He stopped and   
laughed. "Haha, Jay's having twins. Good for him."  
Kevin stopped himself from inflicting pain on Matt and tried   
to remember if Nephrite was ever that vague and annoying. He   
had a feeling he didn't need to ask the stars for the answer   
to that question.   
"Oh," Matt raised his can. "By the way, happy birthday."  
He raised his and touched it to Matt's. "Well, technically   
it's not until tomorrow, but thanks."   
They drank in silence, Kevin grateful for his friend's   
thoughtfulness, and at the same time trying to bury the onslaught   
of emotions that every January 19th carried. Inside, the phone   
emitted its trademark obtrusive electronic ring.   
"That's Lita!" Matt screamed loud enough for the entire block   
to hear. He jumped up and through the window in a flash.   
Kevin turned his eyes back up to the heavenly patterns of   
answers to the questions he couldn't see. Why did it have   
to be the same day?   
  
***********  
  
"Zach!" Amy giggled and tried to squirm out from underneath   
him. Her comforter bunched in uncomfortable hills under her   
ass. "We have to stop, we're supposed to be studying!"  
Zach stuck his face back in her neck. "We are studying."  
She smiled again. She had been smiling a lot these days,   
more than her entire grade and high school years combined. Amy   
had never found herself so happy before, probably in her entire   
life, and her newfound bliss was only about a week old, still   
in the infant stages. Still…  
It happened the next cell bio class after the BIG weekend.   
Amy had vainly tried to concentrate on the immensely boring   
film the hung over professor had decided to pop in lieu of   
lecturing, which in turn had lulled two-thirds of the equally   
hung over class into an impromptu nap. Darien was one of   
those victims. Amy had her ear trained to pick up any significant   
information, albeit finding none, and had nearly simultaneously   
jumped out of her skin and transformed when something heavy   
settled on her shoulders. Zach had slung his arm around her   
like they were sitting in a movie theater instead of a three-credit   
class. She looked over at him, perplexed, and caught herself   
in the snare of his leaf-green eyes. He had his contacts   
in. She preferred when he wore his glasses, he seemed…much   
less Zoycite. She couldn't move, much less breath, his   
presence cancelled out her senses and left her with only her   
pounding heartbeat. Without saying a word, he leaned forward   
and pressed his lips against hers, sending rippling shock   
waves through her unprepared body. She had never been kissed   
before, and despite the intense, full-body sensation that the   
simple pressure produced, all she could think was, So this   
is what someone's mouth tastes like. Shocked, she had pulled   
away, praying that her mother would never find out that her   
normally studious daughter was making out during very expensive   
class time. Luckily, it was dark enough that Zach didn't notice h  
er beet-red face, and she had forced herself to concentrate   
on the cinematic disaster in front of her. Still, the entire   
time, his arm remained around her shoulders, slightly frightening   
and reassuring at the same time. Just like her feeling for   
him, an awkward blend of nervousness and infatuation.   
At times like these, the nervousness diminished so much   
that the infatuation practically swallowed it whole and lengthy   
make out sessions were the result, regardless of location.   
Lita had almost crapped her pants when she walked in on them   
once. And another, previously buried feeling had erupted in   
the unusually polite and reserved Ami Mizuno: smugness. She   
loved the stares she received from other, less fortunate females,   
undoubtedly jealous of her tall, built, gorgeous, right-handed  
pitcher (number 11) boyfriend that was as equally infatuated   
with her as she was with him. She even loved the title:   
boyfriend. Girlfriend. Ha-ha to the Seventh Floor Goshin   
Bitches and the green-eyes monsters that lived underneath all   
that makeup.   
She pushed his head away. "We have to study cell bio,   
remember? Big test on Wednesday, one fourth of our grade, must   
do well or slink out of class in disgrace?"  
He doggedly started sucking her skin again. "I am studying   
cells. See?" He kissed her ear, a place she never would have   
guessed as being an erogenous zone. "I'm in contact with a   
lot of them right now."  
She wrapped an arm around his head and cupped her palm   
over his mouth. "Zach, we have to get down to business. I   
promise, we can resume this after the test." She wiggled out   
from under him and scooted to the foot of her bed. "Now, I   
have to review the first chapter again, just to make sure I   
know all those parts, and then I'll look over the quizzes,   
because this girl I know said that he usually…"  
"Nope." Zach scrambled up and started crawling over   
the bed towards her. Amy suddenly felt like prey.  
She swallowed. "Nope what?"  
He didn't say a word, just stopped and smiled. She   
jumped up and tried to make it to the door, but he was too   
fast. He lunged forward with a growl and grabbed her around   
the waist, sending them both crashing to the floor. She let  
out a squeal of pure glee, giggling as hysterically as Serena  
ever could when she felt his lips assault her neck again.   
Erin and her roommate Hollie were two seconds away from   
knocking on Amy's door to invite her over for some Cool Ranch   
Doritos and White Russians when the door visibly thumped   
outwards with the impact of something large and heavy hitting   
it, followed by Amy shrieking.   
"Whoa," Erin breathed, the amazement in her eyes the   
same as when she had gone to Yellowstone with her parents and   
witnessed Old Faithful erupting. She turned to Hollie. "Who   
would have guessed that someone as quiet as Amy would be so   
kinky?"  
  
  
  
  
  
************  
  
They were there. He had found them.   
Kunzite stared incredulously at the pulsing white boomerang   
that he had seemingly pulled out of thin air. He was plastered   
to the spot, hypnotized by its throbbing glow, just as he had   
been when Serena had shown him the Silver Crystal. Of course,   
he had been more awestruck of the aura of power emitting from   
the glittering stone than by its flashy strobe effect, but right   
now he felt like a kid in a candy store. He silently rejoiced.   
All right! I knew I wasn't all defense!   
This was technically only their third real skirmish, the   
second being a spindly youma made out of a Wal-Mart shopping   
cart, and the General's really didn't have time to practice on   
it after Mercury got a little overexcited and froze the whole   
thing solid. Jadeite had challenged any of them to stick their   
tongue to its frozen metal legs before Mars bitch-slapped him   
and flamed it, causing the frigid metal to explode when exposed   
to the extreme heat. They had celebrated with a case of Coors   
and a heated ten-point pitch tournament, the seemingly inept   
team of Jay and Serena coming out victorious.   
"Kunzite, take a friggin' picture, it lasts longer!"   
Zoicite screeched; backpedaling rapidly after his ice shards   
had ineffectually and promptly shattered against the metal   
chiton of the half bug/half robot youma. Its origins were   
obviously refuse; the word BUDWEISER was stretched across its   
thorax in giant script and a pull tab sat on its head in lieu   
of antennae. Kunzite used every ounce of reserve not to fling   
his new weapon at the back of Zoicite's head.   
The metal beer can/insect effortlessly dodged a flying   
long-stem and emitted a high, shrill buzz a few decibels above   
eardrum-shattering, causing nine pairs of hands to clap over   
eighteen ears. A stream of putrid brown plasma shot out of   
its mouth, dropping to earth like a heavy wet bed sheet and   
coating Sailors Mars and Moon, the only two that hadn't recovered   
enough to scatter. The smell was sickening.   
"AAAHH!" Moon screamed, almost as loud as the youma.   
"I'M ALL STICKY! YUCK YUCK YUCK GET IT OFF MEEEE!"  
Kunzite would have laughed at Mars's hair plastered to   
her head by the brown gook if he wasn't convinced that she   
would turn around and fry him without a second thought, and   
the slight fact that he was temporarily deaf from not covering   
his ears lest he stick the boomerang in his own temples.   
"Would someone please dust this thing before I yack?" she hissed.   
Kunzite extended his arm, the palpitating V struggling   
in his grasp like an overeager child. The energy vibrating   
through his arm was intense. He lined up his shot at the youma's   
head, coiled his arm, and flicked his wrist like he was throwing   
a Frisbee in the park. The arc swung wildly in the opposite   
direction he had intended it, and every Pretty Soldier and   
Earth General in sight dropped their heads and ducked, for   
fear that they would experience a closer shave than any   
Norelco could have provided.  
"Watch out!" Jupiter screamed as the flash of white hurtled   
mere inches above her head. The arc sliced through the   
neck of an innocent streetlight, sending orange sparks   
showering down as the smell of ozone cut through the night   
air. The severed head dropped down directly on top of a   
Nissan Maxima that had the misfortune to be parked directly   
beneath it. The windshield shattered, the high tinkling   
notes a stark contrast to the grating grind of the twisting,   
tearing metal and crunching plastic. A section of the   
street went dark.  
Even the youma stopped to witness the carnage. Kunzite's   
face was white as a sheet. He wanted to crawl into the proverbial   
hole and die.   
Jadeite, of course, was first to speak. "Good thing they   
didn't make you quarterback."  
Forgetting every rule of protocol that had been drilled   
into his predecessor's brain since childhood, Kunzite reached   
out and smacked the back of his friend's head hard enough for   
the clap to register through hair and glove. Nephrite would   
have laughed if he too didn't fear being cranked.  
Tuxedo Mask joined their little huddle, out of breath,   
eyes wild. "What the hell happened?" he ordered, whipping a   
rose out from under his cape and flipping it in the general   
direction of the youma. Electricity crackled the air as Jupiter   
tried her hand again. "I thought you were all defense, Kunz."  
He narrowed his silver eyes. "I'll hit you too."  
A screech permeated the air, soft at first but growing   
louder as the vocalist drew closer and closer. A slimy,   
extremely smelly Sailor Moon grabbed handfuls of Tuxedo Mask's   
silk cape from behind and frantically scrubbed her face.   
"What are we going to do?! Someone other than Kunzite, please   
kill it now I want to go hoooome!" She wailed histrionically   
and buried her face in Mask's chest, whose face was a combination   
of heartfelt sympathy and utter disgust.   
Kunzite simultaneously blushed and felt a slight tugging   
on his back. Turning, he realized that Mars had picked up a   
cue from Moon and was wiping her face and hair on his cape.   
He cleared his throat, but she didn't stop.  
"Mercury?" Tuxedo Mask called. She was on the other   
side of the street, being covered by Venus as she punched data   
through her computer.   
"Hold on!" she called. The Budweiser youma whipped around   
and sprayed her with a fresh stream of brown matter, this time   
with the force of a fire hose, sending her sprawling backwards   
and choking on the filth.   
Zoicite leaped into the fray immediately. "We don't have   
time!" His ice crystal sailed and broke.   
The group broke up, scattering in a semicircle to distract   
the youma from Mercury. "Hey ugly! I like Coors better!" Nephrite   
tried, launching his white comets, which, in turn, shot him   
backwards, like a bullet. "OW! Why do I keep doing that?" The   
comets ricocheted off the youma's back and hurtled into a glass   
storefront, shattering it and most of the electronic equipment   
inside.   
Jadeite tried his hand. The white spiral he managed to   
conjure was nothing short of spectacular, and he would have been   
proud of the way it blew off the youma's back if he hadn't been   
unconscious and lying on the pavement.   
Mars screamed in frustration and rushed to his side. "How   
do we KILL this thing?" Mercury splashed a considerable amount   
of water on his face to rouse him.   
Venus leaped out of the path of another brown stream and   
ran up to Kunzite. "Any ideas?"  
He looked down at her, noting with amusement that she hadn't   
emerged unscathed; the right side of her head was coated with   
what he could only describe as youma loogie. "Yeah, I was thinking   
we could blast it, but that seems to be falling through." In the   
background, Tuxedo Mask gave a yell, undoubtedly reporting that   
he too had fallen victim to the filth.   
Venus grimaced. "I tried pinning it down with my Love-Chain,   
but it just broke through. We need youma-Kryptonite or something,  
and fast, before I die of the smell."  
Kunzite closed his eyes. During a particularly boring history  
class the previous day, he tried to doze instead of listening to   
Sherman's siege of Atlanta and found himself replaying the previous   
day in his head, scene for scene, like a movie reel. The images   
clicked into his head one after the other, each so accurate he   
could even remember the make, model, and color of the cars he   
had passed on the way to class. He had been shocked beyond   
belief at first, and then overjoyed when he could read his history   
notes off of the picture in his head, and then silently thanked   
the Old Kunzite for the gift. The photographic memory was   
undeniably one of the many factors that had made him a great   
leader.   
The scenes flashed in his head, beginning when they had   
transformed and encountered the youma in the middle of the   
street, right next to Lola's. He watched each of them in   
turn try their hand at destroying it, noting carefully what   
seemed to cause it pain, or make it stumble…  
It clicked. "There!" he shouted. Venus jumped.  
"What?" she asked urgently, and opened her eyes. They   
were shining with acuity, and for a second Kunzite wondered   
if she had been bestowed the same gift.   
"When the streetlight fell, a piece of metal hit it,"   
he explained. "And it seemed hurt. Only physical objects   
seem to hurt it, so we've just been wasting our time with the   
magic. We've probably been tickling the stupid thing for the   
last half-hour." His face resolved itself into granite, and Venus   
couldn't help but stare at the way he looked when he was serious.  
"New plan, Senshi!" she yelled. "It's only hurt by physical   
objects; our powers are defenseless against it, so," she   
whipped her glowing chain around a chunk of asphalt and   
whipped it with the accuracy of Tom Sawyer with a slingshot.   
"Let's kick its ass, girls!"  
"And guys," Tuxedo added. She rolled her eyes.   
"And guys."  
"All right!" Jupiter screamed excitedly, just dying to throw   
things again after she had nearly shattered Malachite's jaw   
all those months ago. She wrapped her hand against another   
chunk of blacktop and sidearmed it. It clanged off the   
youma's hard back, but it screeched and turned in her direction.   
Nephlite, Jadeite, and Zoicite started whipping anything   
hard at it, and the dozens of tiny stings made the youma   
screech in pain and whip around frantically, searching for   
the cause of all the little wasps. Zoicite aim was the   
most accurate, and he began nailing the youma right in the   
eyes with deadly precision. Venus's Love Chain effortlessly   
tossed heavier objects, most of them being the broken   
electronic equipment that had spilled onto the street after   
Nephrite's comet decided that it liked property damage   
better than killing youma.   
Kunzite picked up a football-sized chunk of metal and hurled   
it at the youma's head. Who says I couldn't be quarterback?   
Suddenly, thousands of pieces of crap were flying through   
the air at the youma, and it thrashed around, it's tiny   
mind trying to process just exactly what had turned the   
tables. It curled up like a potato bug, letting the   
concrete and plastic rain down on its back.   
"I think it's giving up!" Tuxedo proclaimed. "Sailor   
Moon?"  
"Gotcha love!" she chirped happily, anticipating   
the second she could send this youma to hell for getting   
her all slimy. "MOON-"  
Before she could finish, the youma burst out of its  
curled position and crashed into the pavement, creating   
quite a pothole in the process. The shockwave sent everyone to the pavement.   
"Oh s***!" Nephrite screamed on all fours. "I think   
I broke my GD kneecaps!"   
They were starting to panic, Kunzite could tell just   
by the tight screams. He scanned the street. What   
the hell's big enough to take it down? They were   
running out of options. Mercury screamed in the background.   
There.   
"Venus!" he screamed, scrambling to his feet.   
"Come here!"   
She came. "What is it?" Her voice was tight,   
authoritative, nothing like the light Delta Zeta giggle that   
he had come to associate with her.   
He told her. Her eyes lit up, and she mentally   
smacked herself for not thinking of it sooner. "But who--?"  
They both turned and looked at the same person.   
"You sure?"  
"Yes." His voice was steel. He was Patton, he was   
Schwartzkopf; he was invincible.   
"Regroup!" she shouted, and they gathered around, including   
Sailor Moon. Tuxedo wondered only in passing why Venus was   
giving orders instead of her.   
"Ok, guys, here's the plan." She ran down it, confident   
despite all the suspicious stares.   
"But who-" Sailor Moon started.   
Kunzite's eyes scanned them each in turn before stopping   
on Jadeite. "Jadeite?"  
Jadeite's jaw practically hit his chest. "Why me?" he   
squeaked.   
Venus gestured absentmindedly in the air. "Because,   
you're the most…you know...bait-y."  
He was aghast. "Bait-y? I'm the one who's risking his   
life and the only reason you give me is because I'm BAIT-Y?"   
"Don't argue, just do," Kunzite said, his basic principle   
concerning everything. "Ready?"  
They nodded. "Do we have to like, BREAK!?" Zoicite clapped   
in the imitation of a sports huddle.   
But they were already taking positions, scattering into   
nine points around the street, dodging brown gunk and then   
taking cover behind cars, walls, anywhere where the youma   
couldn't see them. Jadeite stood alone in the middle of the   
street. The youma turned, stared at him with its beady red   
eyes.   
He gulped. Oh my God I'm going to die. "Hey dipsh**!"   
he yelled, his lone voice echoing off the brick storefronts.   
"Wanna play, you cheap domestic crap? Jeddy has it, so COME GET   
IT!!" He jumped just in time to avoid being flattened by the   
youma's metal bulk. "AAAHHH!"   
"GO!" Kunzite shouted from behind a minivan. His stomach   
turned. What if Jadeite didn't make it? He would be the one who   
sent his oldest and best friend to his death…  
Jadeite ran down the empty street, the youma right at his   
heels. Oh God oh God oh God. Beads of sweat formed on his   
hairline, more from fear than exertion. He ran the entire block,   
and started on another. As soon as he passed the intersection,   
the others leapt out of their hiding places and started racing   
after them.   
At the end of the next block, an older brick building   
stood, unimportant in itself, but thanks to his photographic   
memory, Kunzite knew that there was a steep staircase next to it,   
leading to a short alley and a basement door, two key elements   
in his plan. Jadeite found it easily enough; by that point, he   
would have gladly jumped into a vat of medical waste just to get   
away from the youma and its horrible smell. He pounded down the   
stairs, and the youma stupidly followed, not knowing it was trapping   
itself…  
He reached the end, right in front of the wall and door.   
He grabbed at the knob, frantically twisted it. It did not budge,   
it was locked; furthermore, it was also rusted shut.   
"NO!" He screamed, his fear palpable enough to taste. He spun,   
pressing himself against the metal door, his eyes rounding in   
horror as the youma drew closer, its mandibles stretched into the   
equivalent of an insect grin, dripping brown mucus. He wanted   
to shut his eyes, to avoid seeing his own death coming, but   
they remained locked open, frozen on the monstrosity before   
him, and his eyelids stubbornly ignored the desperate message   
his brain was sending. Oh God, I'm dead. Funny how calmly   
he said it in his own head, but ended up coming out of his   
mouth was the terse but eloquent:  
"Fuck a duck."  
A flash of gold briefly illuminated the blackness of the   
alley, and Jadeite felt something squeeze around his waist   
and pull him up so hard that his feet lifted off the ground,   
and then he was airborne. He landed in a crash on the sidewalk,   
out of the pit of death and into safety. Venus stuck her face   
close to his and disengaged her Love Chain. "I'm sorry! I didn't   
mean for you to land that hard, I swear! I was panicking and I   
just wanted to get you to safety and…" He cut her off.   
"It's OK, really."  
Meanwhile, Jupiter lined up her shot and fired, the white-blue   
crackle of electricity dislodging the metal dumpster from against   
the side of the building, and it skittered away a few feet.   
"There you go! Be careful, it still might be charged!"  
Kunzite didn't have time to worry about it. Bryce University's   
number fifty-four, starting linebacker, charged at it and crashed   
his shoulder against the unyielding steel, bumping it forward a   
few inches and giving himself one hell of a shock. Out of the   
corner of his eye, he saw the Senshi leap into the air as if gravity   
was but a myth instead of a Newtonian Law and land on a ledge,   
and all five of them started raining down anything they could get   
their hands onto the youma. It screeched, tiredly, too exhausted   
to leap out of the hole.   
He pushed harder, wondering what the hell he ever did for   
the specific dumpster they chose to be filled with what felt like   
bricks instead of, say, cardboard. He ground his feet in and   
shoved again, an ant trying to push over an oak.  
It slid another foot or so as another body crashed into it,   
another player checked against the glass. Now Nephrite was trying   
to push it forward, he teeth gritted. "Good goddamn! Of course we  
would pick the friggin' World's Heaviest Dumpster!"  
Kunzite smiled despite the circumstances. Jadeite and Tuxedo   
Mask landed against it with twin thump-thumps, and with astonished   
declarations from both.  
"Oh good Goddamn!" Jadeite breathed.   
"What is thing filled with? Bricks?" Tuxedo said. "Hey   
Zoicite, feel like helping, or do you just want to stand there?"  
"Push it on three," Zoicite said, bending down in a runner's   
stance. "Ready? One…two…THREE!"   
They pushed forward with all their strength, and Zoicite   
threw himself onto it at the same time. The dumpster lurched   
forward a good three feet, and sat just a few inches in front   
of the staircase.   
"Just a little more," Tuxedo grunted. He looked over at   
Zoicite, who looked exhilarated despite the strain.   
"You know, I've kinda always wanted to push a dumpster on   
something," he explained, his eyes glittering.   
"You would," Tuxedo mumbled. They pushed it again, this   
time it almost teetered.   
"Hurry up you guys! We're running out of ammo!" Mars had   
nothing lef t to throw.   
"One more time!" Kunzite shouted over the youma's screaming.   
"NOW!"   
They dug their shoulders in and pushed simultaneously, and   
the dumpster inched forward. Suddenly, the tension that had been   
pressing onto them vanished as the dumpster fell from the sidewalk   
and tipped onto its side. It tumbled down the stairs, the sound   
deafening, right towards the youma, who had no choice but to stare   
dully at its impending doom. The dumpster took one last, graceless   
somersault and smashed through into the Budweiser bug like it was   
made of air before banging into the wall with a deafening clang.   
It was like a sledgehammer coming down on an overripe tomato.   
The youma popped like a zit, and brown mucus sprayed into the air   
with roughly the pressure of a ruptured fire hydrant, drenching   
everyone head to toe. Tuxedo wisely pressed his lips together as   
the foul shower rained down to avoid actually tasting any of the   
gunk, a fate worse than death at that particular moment. Sailor   
Moon was not that fortunate.   
For a second, no one spoke. No one moved. They simply   
stood, sodden, stinking brown lumps, eyes wide in disgust underneath   
plastered bangs, too shocked to blink lest the hideous youma spring   
to life and firehose them again with the horribly smelling liquid.   
Sailor Moon regained her vocal chords. "OH…MY…GOD!!!"  
"I hear that," Jadeite deadpanned, pulling off one of his white   
gloves and wringing out about a gallon of muck.   
Her eyes remained open and stunned. "I….THIS IS SO DISGUSTING!!   
I THINK I'M GOING TO RALPH!"   
"Well, screaming about it isn't going to…oh my God I think   
it's in my ears!" Mars interrupted her own diatribe by frantically  
digging into her auditory canals.   
Mercury calmly pulled one boot off and tipped it upside down.   
A mixture of crap poured out; half pure liquid and half gelatin   
slime. Even her normally cool, calculated composure couldn't   
keep her face from screwing up into a grimace. Zoicite grabbed   
one of her arms to help steady her as she hopped around on one foot.   
Tuxedo sidled up to his head General, whose mouth popped   
open and shut approximately every two seconds. "Crude, yet effective.   
Excellent job, number one, remind me to send you my dry-cleaning bill."  
By this time, Kunzite's stomach had skipped knotting and   
had gone right into Old Age Ulcer Mode. This was his first real   
mission, and he wanted to prove to his Prince that the Kevin Belles   
Kunzite was just as capable at strategy and execution as the   
first Kunzite had been. Tuxedo was an old hand at this; he had   
carried out entire operations without any backup, not to mention   
that the Queen of the Future was potentially scouting Crystal   
Tokyo's future guard by Major League Baseball standards, and   
it looked like he would be riding some oak in the minors.   
Compounded into the equation was the fact that Sailor Venus a.k.a.   
Mina a.k.a. the one girl in the entire world that he didn't want   
to look like a total scrub in front of was presently wiping youma   
snot off her lips with a look on her face like she had just   
stepped in fraternity puke in bare feet.   
He looked back up at Tux, and he saw Darien looking back,   
Endymion looking back, his oldest friend, and he was laughing.   
Laughing at him. Darien of new and Endymion of old had just   
effectively busted his balls. He blushed underneath the layer   
of grime. "Fine, next time you take on the Budweiser mutant   
solo, b***h."  
Floating between existence and non-existence, three Guardians   
of Old chuckled and elbowed the fourth, who would never had dared   
say anything of that caliber to their Prince.   
Kunzite's outburst barely cracked the tension, just enough   
for them to have a short laugh and collect themselves. "Come on,   
guys, we need a shower," Jupiter declared, touching the jewel on   
her tiara and detransforming in a flurry of green. She remained   
soaked to the skin; her long hair freed out from Jupiter's ponytail   
slapped wetly against her back.   
The Senshi nodded, flashing briefly in their respective colors   
as their normal clothing reappeared on them. Tuxedo Mask removed   
his eyewear, and promptly reverted back into Darien. Jadeite was   
halfway to pulling off the other glove to detransform when Nephrite   
screamed.   
"What is it?" Mina swiveled around, her henshin pen clasped   
in her hand.   
Nephrite's face was stark white, and he seemed to have a hard   
time getting the words out. "Oh God, no, no, no." He shook his   
head back and forth like a broken bobble-head doll.   
Raye had long since run out of decorum. "What the hell's   
the matter?"  
He looked at each of them in turn. "I think I know what   
this stuff is." He stopped.   
Zoicite nodded encouragingly. "And?"  
"Darien, you said that youma are usually made out of junk   
just laying around, right?"  
"Yeah."  
His face contorted. "Out with it!" Kunzite commanded.   
If this is some sort of toxic waste…  
"This one was made out of a beer can," he said, his voice   
so strained and high that the light breeze was almost drowning   
it out. He swallowed and delivered the blow.   
"This," he gestured. "Is chew spit."  
The Generals were too horrified to speak. Jadeite made a   
soft noise and looked like he was going to fall over. Zoicite   
promptly started gagging. Kunzite started breathing hard, like   
he had been running a marathon for the last four hours.   
Darien and the girls simply stared at them. "What's that?"   
Serena asked innocently.   
"Chew spit!" Nephrite repeated frantically, pulling off both   
gloves in the mistaken idea that Matt would be less filthy. "You   
know, when you chew tobacco, and you spit into a can…"  
Serena's jaw dropped open, and she screamed, her best and   
loudest that wavered in octave yet remained the same earsplitting   
volume throughout, the scream of someone being murdered. This   
time she wasn't immediately silenced by Darien, or slapped by   
Raye, or lectured by Amy. They joined in the harmony, and the   
street echoed with their disgusted screams.   
  
************  
  
The ball dimmed and clicked off the second the youma had   
been destroyed, just like it had always done whenever a battle  
was over. The white smoke dissipated and the orb appeared clear   
again. Beryl sat back on her throne, thinking.   
"Soon," she said. "Let them grow confidant before we destroy   
them. The Senshi think they've gained the upper hand, but just wait,   
just wait." Her mind flashed back to a time long past. "Those  
pitiful Senshi will never know what hit them. And as for Endymion's   
generals…" She saw Kunzite spitting in her face again, his eyes   
narrow and defiant, unwavering in his loyalty to Endymion. She   
should have realized he was a lost cause from the start. She saw   
Jadeite lunging forward, cursing and damning her to hell a thousand   
times over. Zoicite, making one last, desperate break for the door.   
The look in Nephrite's eyes when he realized there was no hope left,   
which she had always treasured the most. "I hate them the most."  
Jedite's grin seemed to be stretched by wires. He cackled,   
the insane laugh of hyenas and rubbed his hands together. "Will   
you give them to us, you Highness?"   
Beryl stood, sending all four of them to their knees.   
"Perhaps. Be patient, you'll get what's coming to you." They   
thought she was talking to them, but in her mind's eye another   
face stood out, a face of an angel, the face that haunted Beryl   
every second of her existence.   
  
************  
  
Jay emerged from the bathroom, hair wet, resplendent in a   
bath towel. "You know what?" he announced to the living room.   
"I still don't feel clean. I need to run through a car wash or   
something."  
"Do you wanna hurry up?" Raye ordered, pardon, suggested.   
"We're only waiting for you, you know." Running one hand through   
her newly washed hair, she admitted that she had to agree with him.   
She felt she had to pull back her skin and scrub underneath it to   
remove every trace of the filth she had been coated in. She   
herself had spent a good half hour under the shower, scrubbing   
at her scalp, before Mina had retrieved her. She still thought   
she could smell a hint of tobacco underneath all the Pantene Pro-V.   
Darien and Zach exchanged looks, getting the exact same idea   
at the exact same time. They stood up and casually sauntered up   
next to Jay in the hallway, who was now railing everyone for   
using up all the Pert. Quick as a cobra they struck, pulling   
off his towel.   
"A$$holes!" he screamed, wrestling with them for it while   
every female present hid her respective eyes. Finally he gave   
up and retreated into the bedroom, and Mina caught a glimpse of   
his naked ass before she slammed her eyelids shut.   
"Hurry up, I want to get there before Happy Hour's over,"   
Matt screamed into the hallway before resuming the game of pool   
that he had been playing with Lita. They had decided to celebrate   
the defeat of yet another youma by hitting Hot Shotz, a   
student-frequented bar with the reputation for not carding. The   
guys were all equipped with fake I.D.s, just in case, and the   
girls were supposed to start babbling in Japanese if they got   
stuck. He lined up a shot and sank it. Serena shut her eyes;   
the soft click-clicks of the balls hitting each other reminded   
her of the Amazoness quartet, of their tiny clothing and Chipmunk   
voices. It seemed unreal to her that they had ever fought without   
the Generals at their sides.   
Jay emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed. "Ready to   
go?" Raye stood up next to him and took his hand. "Who's   
driving?"   
"I guess we all are," Matt said, batting one of Lita's   
solids off its course straight into a pocket. She squealed in   
protest. "Sure you don't want to come, Kev?"   
He nodded. "Yeah, I have stuff to do." Mina had elected   
to stay with him, and Matt wondered if she was one of those things.   
"You sure?" Darien had asked before why Kevin was acting so   
funny, and they had promised to explain once they got to the bar.   
"Yeah, I'm sure." Darien gave him one last, concerned look   
before he files out with the others.   
They were alone, sitting on the couch next to each other.   
Mina pulled her legs up from underneath her and touched his arm.   
He looked at her.   
They stayed that way for a while, not moving, just looking   
at each other. Mina felt her insides twist up again. My God,   
I can't even look at him without crumbling. He shifted his   
gaze away, leaving her to stare at his profile. He seemed to   
lose all expression then, and turned to stone.   
"What's the matter?" she asked, crawling closer to him.   
Zach had forgotten to turn the stereo off before he left, and   
Dave Matthews pleaded for his angel. Why is Dave Matthews   
on whenever we're together? Is it some kind of cosmic sign or   
something?   
He shook his head. "Nothing, don't worry about it," he   
said in a voice that clearly said, yes, everything, and worry   
about it.   
A tiny smile spread on her face. "You can't fool me that   
easily," she said, tracing one of her slender fingers over his   
huge knuckle. The simple touch was more effective that the worst   
kind of torture. "Is it because Jay almost got squished?"  
He looked back at her, shocked. "How did you know?" She   
smiled, wider this time, sending his heart rate up.   
She laughed, the laugh of irony instead of amusement.   
"Because it happens to me all the time. Sailor Moon, she's,   
well, she's our princess, and our leader, but-" She struggled   
with modesty. "She just doesn't have what it takes sometimes.   
I can think quicker than she can, I know what to do. She just,   
she just doesn't. So I give out orders, and they listen. Even   
Sailor Moon. If I told her to run down that staircase, she would.   
Any of them would. What if they got killed? What if I sent Raye   
down there?" Her eye moistened. "I would have sent my best friend   
to her death, and she would have went right to it, because she   
trusts me to know what's best and doesn't even question it.   
What would I say to her grandfather? How could I live with the   
fact that I killed one of them? Or my Princess? The rest of them,   
they'd never forgive me. They might say it, but I know they   
wouldn't mean it, because I told her to go and she went." She   
wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm sorry, I'm getting all   
weepy on you." She smiled again, so strong yet so sad. Kevin   
put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.   
"You just said everything I was thinking," he said. She   
leaned her head against his incredible solid chest and listened   
to him breath. "All I could think about is how I would tell   
Jay's mom that I'd killed him. Or any one of them. We're   
supposed to protect Endymion…" He stopped as the revelation   
hit him. "Mina, Endymion isn't our leader, I am."  
"Yeah?" she said, confused.   
"So why do you think Sailor Moon is your leader? I mean, she   
does have the strongest attacks, but like you said, she's not a   
quick thinker or a strategist. Maybe she's not meant to be."  
Mina buried her face into his neck and inhaled. Mmm,   
Irish Spring. "What are you saying? That I'm the leader of   
the Sailor Senshi?"  
"Could be. You said yourself that you were the first to   
be awakened, and they all listen to you."  
She shook her head. "I don't know. We can't remember and   
Luna and Artemis haven't told us, so," She shrugged. "It's up   
in the air. I just do it because no one else does. Mercury   
would be a good leader because she's smart and thinks ahead,   
but she's too timid to give orders. Mars is too hot-tempered,   
and Jupiter doesn't think sequentially. She has one game plan:   
fry everything."  
Kevin thought a second. His situation almost paralleled   
hers. Nephrite would simply act and not think, Jadeite would   
send them all into kamikaze missions, and Zoicite would take a   
year and a half to get a simple game plan down. Running out of   
eloquent words, he simply said what was on his mind. "Sucks,   
doesn't it?"  
She giggled again and pecked him on the cheek. "You bet."  
He sat back, letting her lay across his lap. "Today's my   
birthday."  
Mina's eyes snapped open and her mind went reeling back   
to a night in her dorm room, how they whispered to each other   
in the dark.   
"When's your birthday?"   
"January 19th. Why?"   
She groaned. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have, you   
know, made a big deal out of it."  
"Don't," he said simply. "And don't worry about it."  
"Do the guys know? And how old are you?"  
He stroked her face. "Yeah, they know, we just really don't   
celebrate. And I'm twenty-two."   
She stared up at him. "Twenty-two? That means you're a year   
behind."  
"Yeah, that's part of the reason we don't celebrate." He   
let the silence linger longer than it had to.   
"Tell me," she said finally. Her voice was gentle.   
"I don't like to talk about it."   
"You brought it up," she said, reaching for his hand and   
wrapping it in both of hers.   
"You're right," he said, staring into space. "I did. We   
don't really celebrate because my father died on my birthday."  
Mina frowned. "That's not what Amy's computer said." He   
looked down at her and she blushed. "I mean, the first time I   
saw you, I thought you were Malachite, and Amy pulled up your bio…"   
Her ears burned with embarrassment.   
She looks so cute when she blushes. "That was probably  
my stepfather; he adopted me and I took his name. My father's name   
was John McCormick." His mind suddenly switched to Jay, and how he   
used to tease him. "Kevin's so Irish he has two micks in his name."   
"What happened?" she breathed. She wasn't a newcomer to death;   
it had taken Raye's mother and both of Lita's parents. It hung   
around them like fog, every time they would mention their mothers   
and Raye and Lita would unknowingly flinch. Lita had practically   
swallowed a bottle of Valium before she would even step foot inside   
the airport.   
"We used to live in Boston," he began, his voice softer than   
she thought it could ever be. "I know, it's so clichéd, Irish cop   
living in Boston, it's probably been a TV movie a few times, but   
anyway, I was four, and on my birthday he was killed in a drug bust.   
I barely remember it, but I remember my mother's grief. She could   
hardly function, and we moved to Junta to be near my grandparents."   
"Go on."  
"Well, between moving and the fact that my mother couldn't   
even get out of bed, no one taught me how to read and I got held   
back. She married Frank, and then Jennifer was born, and they   
changed my name. It sounds simple, doesn't it?"  
Mina shook her head. "Nothing is that simple, believe me."   
She thought of Alan, and England, and how for so long everyone had   
presumed her dead.   
He ran his fingers through her hair, feeling the light gold   
mass slip through and tickle the spaces between his fingers. "Thank   
you," he said.  
She frowned. "For what?"  
"Listening to me."   
She sat up and kissed him. "That's what I'm here for." He   
kissed her back, harder than he intended to, but he couldn't help   
himself. He had never felt this way about someone.   
Mina let him touch her all over, her heart pounding from the   
pressure on her lips. She leaned into him, touching his hair,   
wondering why it all felt so familiar.   
Dave Matthews sang:  
"All you need is,   
all you want is,   
all you need is love.  
Everyday."  
  
  
  
***********  
  
"Wow! That's so heavy!" Serena said, her eyes filling   
with tears. Darien smiled; his Serena was so big-hearted   
that it was almost impossible to believe. "So whenever his   
birthday rolls around, he's reminded of his father? Oh, I wish   
I could do something." She bit her trembling lower lip, but   
tears spilled out anyway and dripped into her beer.   
Lita was sitting as stiff as a board. Matt put his arm   
around her and squeezed. She had told him about her parents,   
and although he knew he couldn't do anything, he wished with   
every ounce of his being that he was making it up to her. "You   
want to go home, Lita?" he asked gently. She nodded.   
"Could you stay awhile?" she asked, her green eyes huge.   
"Of course."  
"I'll go to Darien's," Serena wailed, her voice muffled   
because her face was buried in Darien's shoulder. She sniffed,   
proving that her nose was running along with her eyes.   
Raye slipped her hand under the table and into Jay's. "Can   
we stay awhile? I'm not done with my pitcher." And I want   
to forget for a while. I don't want to be sad for five minutes,   
please.   
He kissed where her hairline met her forehead. "Yes."  
"We'll stay too," Amy mumbled, barely audible over the din  
of the bar. She had done three Stiff Dicks in under an hour,   
and was now heavily supported by Zach. "I'm feeling pretty   
good right now."  
"And that is a surprise to no one," Jay laughed. "See   
you guys later."  
"Later," Matt said. He and Lita left.   
"OK, enough of that," Jay declared, standing up.   
"I'm feeling like I'm going to beat Raye in darts."  
She jumped up. "You wish, sped."   
  
************  
  
She sighed, staring down at them. They have to know.   
And soon.   
  
  
*******************************  
  
  
Hey again, i'm sorry but i will get to Raye and Lita eventually , I   
swear! like i said, i don't even know what i'm doing..  
i can't even fix the crappy formatting. When i started this i knew that   
it would prety much be Mina-centered, but i didn't mean to neglect the   
others. i'll get there, i promise!  



	9. 9

Part 9 a.k.a. I have no idea what to write about.   
  
ok, just for a warning, a fact of life is that college students  
have sex. I know, its a shock to me too, but THE DEED is mentioned  
in this chapter...so if you're young, go away. It's not even bad, you see  
more hentai on an average episode of Dawson's creek. but if you're  
not allowed to watch the WB, go away. i don't own sailor moon, or any brand  
names...  
**************************************************************************  
Serena watched curiously as Zach shoved a thin screwdriver into the   
black plastic casing of the cell phone and pry it open like he was shucking   
clams. It didn't splice cleanly in half like he had expected, rather, it   
cracked into several jagged, jigsaw pieces.   
"Crap," he muttered to himself. Luna jumped off the table to retrieve   
the strays while Amy reached across the table and swept the smaller fragments   
into her hand. "Save those, I can put it back together." He picked up a   
pair of needle-nose pliers and started fiddling with the guts of the cell   
phone, while Amy tapped into her Palm Pilot with lightening speed.   
"Here, look," she said, holding it up to Zach. He squinted at the   
diagram while at the same time, tried to maneuver the tiny wires and chips   
inside the phone.   
"That's the screen, right?"  
"Yes. I'll start trying to program them."  
Serena had sat on the phone-doctoring session with every intention   
to help; however, her position had been reduced to handing them things   
and getting drinks. She picked up one of the finished products, a Nokia   
cellular, with its usual special attachments: mini-video screens, hidden   
camera, and emergency call button.   
She sighed and picked up her philosophy book and flipped idly.   
She had a paper to write. She hated writing papers. What were they going   
to do with all of them, anyway? Stick them all together and write a book?   
I've been good for a long time! I deserve to leave it to the last minute.   
She took a small sip of Kool-Aid and let her mind flit around to any subject   
that wasn't philosophy, mainly, "Days of Our Lives."  
The door opened, and Darien, Kevin, Matt and Lita entered, Darien holding   
a basketball, all four hot and sweaty, cloying up the air with the smell of   
perspiration and…  
"Youma!" Serena yelped, standing so quickly that her chair was knocked   
backwards. Luna gasped. Zach and Amy looked up from their project, they too   
smelling the acrid aroma that youma usually left behind.   
Matt waved it off as if Girl Scouts had attacked them instead of unholy   
Negaverse creatures. "It was just a little one. We took care of it no sweat."  
Luna screwed her face into a kitty-scowl. "A little one? You should   
have called us anyway; sometimes the smallest youma are the deadliest."   
Serena rushed to Darien, having all good intentions of hugging him if the   
smell hadn't repulsed her immediately. "Why didn't you call us? You could   
have been killed, Mamo-chan!" Her baby blues filled with water.   
He bristled under her pet name for him. Did she have to call me that in   
front of everyone? "Don't worry Serena, believe me it was no challenge."  
"It really wasn't," Lita reassured her, wiping her grimy forehead off   
with her sleeve. "The only casualty was the basketball hoop, KUNZITE."  
Kevin burned red. Zach gave a low whistle. "Was it the boomerangs   
again? Jeez, Kev, you gotta get a handle on those things before you decapitate   
someone."  
"I'll show you decapitation…"  
Serena patted his muscled forearm. "Don't worry about it, Kevin, you'll   
get used to them." In truth, he had a good month now to get used to them,   
and still during every battle they sailed out of control, lopping the top   
off of anything unfortunate enough to be in its path. Numerous trees and  
streetlights had been prematurely trimmed or demolished.   
Matt was laughing. "They're not going to let you Down Under if you can't   
throw the boomerang, mate." His Croc Hunter impression was one of the worst   
Serena had ever heard, save for the transfer student from India in her human   
development class.  
Kevin backhanded him across his chest. "Whatever, punk, like you   
didn't go crashing backwards through that fence every time you fired. Oh   
and by the way, how does it feel to be dunked on?"  
Matt grimaced, wondering why every time he was thrown backwards like   
a rag doll, Lita was there to witness. "You dunked on Darien too. Twice."  
"That's because Darien sucks."  
"I do not suck!"  
Serena wrinkled her small nose. "You guys smell."  
Matt pulled his shirt up and sniffed it. "Yeah, we do." All of a   
sudden, all four of them bolted towards the bathroom door, all arriving at   
it at once, no one really getting ahead of the pack since the bulk of all   
their bodies squashed together prohibited entry of a single person to break   
away. Darien and Matt cleverly slammed their shoulders together, leaving   
Kevin with no choice but to lower his shoulder and butt them into the door   
instead of away from it. Lita took this opportunity to drop down and squiggle   
between their legs and gain entry to the coveted bathroom. She slammed the   
door in their faces with a triumphant, "HA!"  
They backed away from the door, defeated, until Matt opened the door,   
leaped in the bathroom, and re-slammed it. "HA!"   
Darien and Kevin stood motionless for a moment, before they began a   
new race to the refrigerator. Serena screeched and jumped out of their way,   
lest she lose a major limb or two. A minor scuffle in front of the fridge   
ensued, and someone's foot hit the table, rattling the ongoing project.   
"Careful!" Zach admonished, gathering up the tiny screws and circuits   
that they had scattered. "If I screw up this one then we actually have to   
buy one of these stupid things."  
Amy stopped her tapping and looked up at him suspiciously. Kevin threw   
Darien a shoulder and got into the fridge first. Amy fixed her features   
into a glare, an expression unfamiliar to her. Soon everyone was looking at Zach.  
"Where did you get those, anyway?" Luna asked.   
He launched into an explanation. "Well, remember that time that   
there was an attack near that pawn shop? Yeah, well, anyway, after the   
youma shattered the window I went in after it and yadda yadda yadda, I   
figured that there was so much damage already that they wouldn't miss a few…"  
Serena's jaw dropped. "You yadda-yadda'ed THEFT?"  
He looked at each of them. Darien had to feign a coughing fit to hide   
his laughter; the look on Zach's face was priceless.   
"F*** you, dudes. If it wasn't for me then we'd be going hungry for   
a month trying to save up for them." He snapped together two broken halves   
of the cell phone, and rubbed his finger over the holes. Black plastic   
materialized underneath his fingertips and filled in the cracks so well   
that the phone seemed to be in mint condition.   
Kevin handed the pitcher of Kool-Aid to Darien, who tilted his   
head back and took a swig. Serena looked disgustedly down at her glass   
and reminded herself not to drink anything out of their apartment that   
wasn't sealed.   
"When's Mina coming back?" Zach asked, bending back over his work.   
Mina had flown down to L.A. for a photo shoot that weekend, just as she   
had last weekend, and the weekend before that…  
"Tonight," Kevin said, taking the pitcher back from Darien. "I'm   
going to pick her up."  
"Cool," Zach answered absent-mindedly. "You better take a shower before   
then, you reek of youma."   
"Just youma again?" Serena frowned. "No Generals."  
"Not one in sight, love," Darien said. The Generals hadn't graced them   
with their presence since that fateful first night.   
"I wonder why Beryl's holding them back," Serena thought out loud.   
She groaned. "Knowing our luck, they'll all come back looking like Robocop."  
Luna's big red eyes swam with worry. "I almost feel like she's toying   
with us, like she has some kind of ulterior motive."  
Amy pulled up a different screen on her disguised computer. "Well, i  
t is a possibility that she's training them or improving them in some   
way, and she's planning on unleashing them all at once."  
"Great," Kevin mumbled. Please let me learn how to throw a   
friggin' boomerang before that.   
Zach dropped his tool on the ground; his face had turned the color   
of chalk. He heard his own voice saying,  
"It's going to take a while, but I think I can improve them to   
the point where they're indistinguishable from us, but hey, why the hell   
would I want to do that? These will just have to do for now, but I don't   
think anyone will notice."   
"What is it?" Darien said. They could all recognize when one of   
them was having a flashback, and it wasn't always reserved just to the   
Generals. Mina experienced an impromptu flashback in the middle of chemistry,   
and could only gather from it a blue dress. Luna jumped onto Zach's lap   
and rubbed her head on his arm in what she thought was a reassuring manner.  
Zach's color slowly returned. "I-I don't know. But whenever we   
try and figure out where those bastards came from, I keep thinking…"   
He swallowed, and talked directly to Amy. "I keep thinking I made them."  
Amy shook her head. "But how? I can't remember the technology of   
the Silver Millennium, unless there was heavy magical involvement, and   
even if you did have the knowledge to 'create life' as I'll loosely term   
it, why would you want to? What would be the purpose of making evil   
versions of yourself?"  
"Unless it was an accident," Kevin said, his voice so low and heavy   
that it sent shivers up Serena's spine.   
"Could be," Darien said simply. Serena looked at him, and he smiled.   
"Just like it was an accident that Kevin dunked on me. Twice."  
"You wish, Chiba." Another scuffle ensued.   
  
***********  
Raye was dumbstruck.   
She had gotten accustomed to Jay's offbeat personality the way   
a person eases his/herself into frigid water inch by inch until they   
no longer felt the chill shoot up their legs. So had she. Little by   
little his cloying humor and intrusive personality had effectively chipped  
away at her cool exterior, until she found life unexciting unless he was   
there, pointing out the foibles to share and laugh at. They had gotten   
together a few times, he mostly talking, she mostly laughing. Little   
by little they revealed themselves to each other.   
He was the middle of six children; he rattled off his siblings'   
names so quickly she made him repeat them until she could too.   
"Julia, Ben, oh crap," she faltered. "Christy?"  
"Cara."  
"Yeah that's it!" Somehow the name "Christy" had leaked into   
her psyche, and the wrong moniker was forever stuck to the third   
Melman. "Uh, can I start over? Julia, Ben, CARA, Jason, Sean, Joey!"   
"Now do birthdays."  
"What?"  
"Just kidding."  
The stories he told about his family, all the disasters and   
foibles that made the Melman household the absolute anti sitcom-family   
and Raye's new envy. Her life with her grandfather had been greatly   
fulfilling, yet quiet, absent of the comfortable reach of an extended   
family. She didn't have a brother like Ben, who "will one day lend   
me great amounts of money that I will never, ever in my natural   
life be able to repay. He's like that." Or color-coordinated laundry   
baskets and assigned seating at dinner. Or trips to Disneyland   
in the Franchise (the Melman's ancient van, complete with multiple   
dents from driving lessons and decade-old Cheerios under the seats)   
or the coast, or Christmas morning, soccer games, Monopoly nights   
("My dad's a beast. Don't ever try to steal Marvin Gardens away   
from him."), a thousand tears and laughs and the security of knowing   
that there was a huge white house on the six hundred block of   
Spring Street that you could crawl back to when life hit you too   
hard and too fast and you needed Shake and Bake chicken legs and   
the experience of sharing a bedroom with the sibling closest in age.  
He had brought over a battered guitar, and Raye's immediate   
reaction was: "Who did you steal that from?"  
He sat on her bed. "Uh, from Alfred Polonauk?"  
She sat next to him and smacked his arm. "Why!? Go give it back!"  
"I would, Raye, but he gave it to me, he's my grandfather, and   
he's dead." He pulled a yellow plastic pick out of his pocket.   
Her jaw dropped. Have I breached the zone of civility here?   
"Oh."  
He smiled, loving the violet sparks that had erupted in died   
somewhere in her irises. Or is it corneas? I really shouldn't fall   
asleep in bio anymore. "You know what, Raye? I'm getting used to   
you."  
The sparks flared again, as Raye's already sensitive nerves   
were grated the wrong way by the innocent comment. "What the hell   
does that mean?"   
His fingers strummed out the opening chords to "#41." "Whatever   
you want it to mean, Raye."  
He sat back against her headboard, and she snuggled against him,   
the guitar straddled across her body. He reached around her and picked   
up where he left off.  
"Play something for me," Raye said, sticking her face into his   
neck and inhaling at the place where his ear met his face. He involuntarily   
shuddered.   
"I am, see?"  
"No, I mean, something you made up." Jay kissed the side of her   
face.   
"I would do anything for you, Raye." Now it was her turn to shudder.   
No one had said anything of that caliber to her. He leaned down and   
pressed his face in her hair, kissing it, feeling it sweep across his   
face like a curtain of midnight. He managed to strum out two more chords   
before their lips met and he relegated it to the ground, so his hands   
could be free to touch her.   
"Raye," he breathed her name. "I've never met anyone like you.   
You make me feel so-" His lips became preoccupied. "I've never felt   
like this with anyone. You're perfect."  
"No, I'm not," she said, all the while thinking, Yes I am.   
She drank up his words and kisses, and fell into a heap of bliss on top   
of him. She needed him, perhaps more than he needed her. She needed   
his humor, his lightness, his carefree attitude, his…  
His rock hard abs.   
She broke away and looked down to where her hand had settled, and   
gathered a handful of shirt and yanked up. He had a six-pack, and a   
pretty defined one at that.   
"Yeah, like it?" She jerked her head up. What a cocky bastard!!   
Boy, I'd love to show him a thing or two! I bet you he's never been   
beat down by a girl!   
"You!" She yelped, poking him harshly in his foresaid six-pack.   
He reflexively curled up, throwing Raye off in the process. She tumbled   
off the bed and onto the floor. He threw himself on top of her with a   
WWF-yell.   
"OOF! Why you-" He pressed his lips down on hers again, silencing   
her. She accepted the kiss, countering it with her own all over his   
face, running her hands through his hair. Their bodies pressed against   
the others, creating heat that rubbed between them like a third entity.   
The door opened.   
Jay shot up, his shirt still pulled up around his armpits. Raye  
sat up too, her hair hopelessly disheveled, and her mouth popped open   
when she saw who was standing in the doorway.   
"Mina!" she blurted. "You're not supposed to be home until tonight!   
OH MY GOD WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR?"  
Mina had almost fainted when she saw Jay pop up from behind the   
bed with his shirt almost off. I would walk in at a time like this!   
Her hands automatically flew up to her dramatically shorter hair,   
which stopped just a few inches below her shoulders. "They, they   
wanted to cut it for the shoot," she explained. "Does it look that   
bad?" She didn't think it had been that bad when they cut it, even though   
it would require some curling iron action in the morning to make the   
layers fall right.  
"NO!" Jay immediately responded. He jumped up and straightened   
out his clothing. "It looks great, Mina, it makes you look even hotter…oops,   
did I say that?" He threw a little boy grin to Raye while flopping   
backwards on her bed. Rather than chastising or cracking him, she   
merely smiled back.   
"No, it looks fine Mina, it's just a shock after seeing you with   
long hair for all these years." It was the same reaction Raye gave herself   
after she hacked off a good two feet before coming to the States: still   
looked good, just different.  
"I think I'm going to let it grow out again," Mina said miserably,   
running her fingers through it. "I don't like it this short."  
"Kevin'll like it. Hey, wasn't he supposed to pick you up from   
the airport?" Jay stretched out on the bed and seemingly absent-mindedly   
scratched his abs. Hey if it worked for Raye, I wonder what Mina   
will think…   
"I know, I was going to go over and surprise him." She rolled   
her eyes. "Yes, Jay, I see your stomach, very nice."   
Raye picked up the teddy bear that he had given her for Valentine's   
Day and whacked him with it. "Quit showing my friends your abs."  
Mina dropped her bags and flopped on her bed. "Any messages?"   
"Yeah." Raye gathered up all the yellow Post-its that had been   
accumulating on the bedside table. "Your Big Sister called, just wanted   
to know if you were back yet, and Kevin, once, I think he forgot you were   
gone, um, some girl named Ashley, says she's in your psychology class   
and needs to borrow your notes, and your agent, twice."   
"Oh crap, guess I better call her," Mina sighed, picking up the   
cordless and punching some keys. "If I don't she'll call every five minutes   
for the next two days."  
Jay picked up his guitar again, acknowledged the odd look from Mina,   
and picked through the first chords of "Layla." Raye settled next to him   
and cast him a look normally reserved for boy bands and Yankee shortstops.   
"Just don't ask me to sing, or they might evacuate the building."  
Mina hung up the phone, looking positively shell-shocked. "Oh my   
God."   
Raye instantaneously slid over to her bed and sat next to her.   
"What's the matter, Mina? What happened?"   
She couldn't speak for a few seconds. "Raye."  
Jay stopped playing mid-chord; for once he was beaten down into   
utter seriousness. "What's wrong? Is everything OK?"   
Mina put one shaking hand over her mouth, muffling her next words.   
"What?" Raye said, leaning closer.   
She pulled her hand away from her face. "I got the cover."   
"The cover? Of what? 'Rolling Stone'?" Jay mangled through a verse   
of Doctor Hook's "Cover of the Rolling Stone."  
"Maxim," Mina choked, hardly believing her own ears. Raye's   
face remained puzzled, while Jay's jaw practically dropped to his knees.   
"You're putting me on!" She shook her head.   
"I did a shoot for them over Christmas break," she explained.   
"I thought it would be used inside, or not at all, but my agent just   
told me that I'm going to be on April's cover."   
Jay made some kind of strangled noise and almost fell off the bed.   
"Oh my God, Kevin is going to TWEAK when he hears this."   
"Don't tell him!" Mina said frantically. "I don't want to get him   
all worried, and you know how he'll dwell on it for the rest of his life."  
Jay sat up. "Me? Tell him? And get my ass beaten in? Don't worry,   
you're secret's safe with me. But what are you going to do when it   
comes out?"   
"Flee the country?"  
"Excuse me," Raye broke into the conversation. "But would one   
of you mind telling me what Maxim is? Is it kind of like Hustler?"  
"No!" Mina and Jay shouted simultaneously. "Its kind of like   
Cosmo for guys," Jay attempted to explain. "But with lots more   
pictures of scantily-clad models and no articles like, 'How to   
Beat Your Boyfriend into Submission When You Have Your Period.'"   
I think that's Raye's Bible.   
It dawned on her. "What were you wearing for that shoot?"   
Raye asked slowly, dreading the answer as much as, say, Kevin.   
Mina looked like she was going to jump out of the window,   
which would not lead to her death but probably just a broken leg   
or two. My stay in the hospital would probably make Kevin   
forget about it. "A white shirt."  
"And?" Raye prompted.   
Mina nodded. "Not much else." Raye almost erupted.   
"Oh my God you're kidding! How many people are going to see   
this?"   
"Not many," Mina said timidly, staring down at her hands.   
"It only has a circulation of about ten million."  
"Not including newsstand," Jay piped up, and then fell silent   
when thrown a Death Stare from Raye. He began laughing hysterically.   
"Oh, man, I can't believe I'm in the same room as the Maxim cover   
model! I feel like I should ask for your autograph or something."   
"Really?"   
"Are you going to get paid for this?"   
"Considerably."   
"Well," Raye brightened a little. "This could be a huge   
stepping stone in your career." Mina nodded.   
"Please don't tell anyone yet. I want Kevin to hear it from   
me, OK guys?" They nodded.  
"Ooh! And just think of how jealous those Seventh Floor   
Bitches will be!" Raye cackled in delight; they had been throwing   
her dirty looks left and right since she and Jay were made public.   
"Crazy Kristen is going to crap her pants! Or split her makeup at   
least. Oh, Mina, you should have been here; she tried to wax her   
upper lip the other day, but she microwaved the wax too long and   
ended up burning her face! She has this big red burn that looks   
just like a huge mustache!"  
"You're kidding!" They began gossiping rapidly, and Jay had   
to smile as they ripped into the not undeserving Kristen. The phone rang.  
"I've got it," Jay said. "Hello?"  
"Her-ro?" The wizened voice was barely audible; it seemed to   
be coming from the end of a long tunnel.  
"Hello?" Jay repeated. A string of another language came through,   
the only recognizable word being "Raye."  
He held out the phone to Raye. "I think it's for you."  
She took the phone and held it up to her ear. "Raye Hino   
speaking." Then: "Ojii-san!" and a rapid stream of Japanese.  
"Who is that?" Jay asked, visions of ex-boyfriends passing   
through his mind's eye. Yeah, watch her have had some rock-star   
ex-boyfriend, that's why she wasn't impressed with my playing…  
"Her grandfather!" Mina giggled, picking up on the waves of   
jealousy pouring from Jay's every pore. I swear, it pays to be   
the Senshi of Love.   
"Oh." Raye continued jabbering away a mile a minute, and Jay   
had the feeling that he would be screwed if he ever found himself   
lost in downtown Tokyo. She suddenly held the phone out to him.  
"Say hi to my grandfather," she suggested in the form of an   
order. Jay shook his head so vigorously he almost broke his neck.   
"No way! I don't speak Japanese! Besides, it's your grandfather!   
Is he a member of the NRA, by any chance?"   
"Just say hi to him, he can't hurt you from two thousand   
miles away!"  
"Uh-uh!" A minor skirmish ensued, ending with the phone   
in Jay's hand.  
"Hi, uh, Raye's grandfather. This is Jay Melman. I know   
you don't speak English, but it's an honor to meet you and you've   
raised a fine granddaughter." He thrust the phone to Raye like   
it was on fire. "Here!"   
"Jeez," she muttered, then translated everything for her   
grandfather. "He says it's an honor to meet you too, and he   
wonders why you're so nervous."   
"He's probably cursing me right now," Jay muttered. His   
encounters with fathers had usually ended with a tour of the   
family gun cabinet.   
"Let me say hi!" Mina grabbed the phone and instantly   
switched languages, leaving Jay floundering. He picked up his   
guitar again.  
"I could do that, I just don't want to."  
  
***********  
  
Lita grabbed the last dry towel before Matt could even   
get out of the tub. She bent over and wound it over her soaking   
hair, turban-style.  
"Oh thanks," Matt said, picking up one of the sodden towels   
on the toilet seat and toweling himself off. "I'm going to smell   
like wet towel now."   
She giggled. "Do you think Zach will mind if I borrow some   
of his gel?" She bent down and unraveled her hair from the towel   
and began vigorously rubbing it. She flipped over her head to   
find Matt's face inches from hers.   
They kissed, slowly, their now-clean arms wrapped around   
each other. Her hand practically squeaked as she rubbed his upper   
arm. "Haven't you had enough?"  
"Nope." He bent down and buried his face into her neck. She   
sighed. She didn't think any of her friends save Serena knew that   
they were shagging, and she hadn't really planned it, it just kind   
of snuck in like a runner stealing third.   
It was those damn earrings.   
Valentine's Day he had stopped by her room. Serena had   
gone to Darien's; he was "cooking" dinner for her that night, in   
actuality reheating everything that Lita had prepared that morning   
and dropped off.   
"Oh God," she moaned after she opened the door and found   
him standing there, his gorgeous glorious self, while she was   
resplendent in a marinara-stained gray sweatshirt and warm-ups.   
"I thought it would take you a little longer to get here! I   
didn't even shower yet; I think I smell like garlic…"  
He bent forward and kissed her. "You look beautiful."   
He was flattering her; she knew it. Her hair was screwed   
back in a haphazard bun, with a few stray curls sproinging out,   
and there was flour encrusted under her fingernails. Her sock   
had a hole in the toe. "You look better."   
And he did. He smelled like Abercrombie Woods, (with a hint   
of cigarette smoke underneath, she noted with heavily veiled disgust)   
and that gray sweater was…  
"Eighty-four dollars?" Lita reached out and grabbed the ticket   
that was poking out from his neck, noting the words "Armani Exchange"   
above the numbers. Matt groaned.   
"Jay told me I looked fine, that little son of a bitch." He   
snapped the ticket off and threw it into Serena's Hello Kitty garbage   
can. His neck was crimson.  
"Did you buy that sweater just for tonight?" She smiled; they   
hadn't even really planned anything in particular. Are you rich?   
"No! Well, yeah." He looked down, embarrassed, the cutest   
little-boy smile on his face.   
"You did, didn't you?" Lita smiled. "You didn't have to do   
that." Unless you have lots of disposable income. Are you rich?   
Her stomach clenched a little. She was not rich, by any means.   
She had slaved her summers and weekends away to buy her car, and   
even that wasn't fully paid off yet. She only paid a little for   
housing and tuition, since Bryce was very generous when it came to   
grants for orphans, but other than that…  
"Don't worry about it," he shrugged. "I have something for you."  
Her face was strangely tight, he noted. "Yeah, me too,"   
she said, pulling a bag from one of the plastic milk crates they   
used to shelve books. "I didn't have time to wrap it, I'm sorry."   
He pulled the bag off. "Oh, a CD. Thank you."   
"Open it," she said. He did, and almost wet himself as   
his jaw dropped open.  
"Where did you get this?"   
She smiled. "Mina gave it me. She was in a couple of   
their videos, and needless to say they autographed a lot of her   
stuff. The bassist wanted her number too, but she was kind of   
scared of him."  
"Holy crap. Kevin is going to be so jealous!" He grabbed   
her around the waist and kissed her. "Thank you so much!"  
"I hoped you would like it." She was so sweet and sincere;   
it made his heart melt.   
"Yeah now well I feel like a dork," he said, digging in his   
pocket and retrieving a black jewelry box. She held it in her   
hands, her mouth open, then popped it open, not wanting to wait   
to see what was inside.   
Two glittering green stones winked back at her. She snapped   
it shut again, her entire body rigid in shock. "You didn't,"   
she whispered. You are rich!   
His brown eyes sparkled. "What are you freaked out about?   
I got it at Zales; there's probably five hundred other chicks   
walking around this city with the exact same thing. An autographed   
CD is one of a kind." Then, unable to contain himself: "Do you   
think Mina could hook us up? I mean, like backstage passes and   
stuff?"  
Lita wasn't listening; she had opened the box again and was s  
taring back at the emeralds with tears in her eyes. "I," she   
murmured, unable to get anything else out.  
Yes! I did good! "Yes?"  
However clichéd it seemed, Lita did honestly feel that all   
words escaped her. She touched her lips gently, trying her best   
to hold back the tears that pricked underneath her eyelids. Matt   
gently pulled off her rose earrings, which she could not remember   
taking off in the last six years.  
"Where did you get these, anyway?" Matt asked. Lita bit her   
lip.   
"From a friend," she said. From a friend all right, and she   
realized suddenly that she hadn't spoken to him since she came to the   
States. Nice way to treat your friends, Makoto, real smooth.   
She was shocked back into reality when she felt his warm fingers   
on her ears. "Look." She stepped in front of her vanity mirror. And   
gasped.   
"Oh," was all she could say. The emeralds glittered despite   
the dingy fluorescent light, and Lita felt the strong urge to see   
how they would sparkle in natural sunlight. Green really was her   
best color; it brought out the amber and olive in her eyes and the   
gold highlights to her hair. Good thing it's my Senshi color.   
She shuddered to think of how she would look in Mina's traffic cone   
orange if that happened to be her color.   
"Thank you so much," she finally blurted. She cast her eyes   
downward, too shy to meet his gaze. He picked up her chin with his   
fist.   
"You're welcome," he said softly, and kissed her on the lips   
without so much as bending over. He only had a few inches on her,   
and he was six-four.   
They kissed until both of their lips were chapped and burned,   
and somehow from the middle of the room they maneuvered onto her bed,  
and soon after their clothes were on the floor.  
"Lita?" Matt asked while they lay there, her head buried in   
his shoulder.  
"Hmm?" She adjusted so her new earrings didn't jab into her   
skull.   
"I'm falling for you, hard."  
They snuck into his bedroom without being spotted; Kevin and   
Darien seemed to be involved in some type of scuffle while Zach   
yelled at them to knock it off. Matt shut the door and began searching   
for clothes.   
Lita pulled her windpants on, and a t-shirt that Raye must   
have left behind when she came to see Jay. It was snug around the   
chest. Raye was a petite girl; she stood a respectable five four   
in flats and was fine-boned and slim, the total opposite of Lita's   
rounder curves and six one frame. The only clothes she could somewhat   
fit into were Mina's, who stood the second tallest at five nine and   
a half and whose chest was somewhere near the caliber of her own.   
It helps for basketball, though. She smiled, remembering   
the look on Matt's face when she fired a trey right over his head.   
Matt flopped on his bed, almost throwing her off with the   
impact. "What are you doing?"  
He ignored her question. "Come lay with me." She did, curling   
her impossibly long legs up towards her chest.   
They lay there, spooned, breathing each other's warmth. Lita   
pressed her body closer to his, trying to absorb every ounce of his  
space and make it part of her own. "Want to order food?" he asked,   
out of the blue. She laughed.   
"That all you think about?"  
"Hey, I just got my ass kicked in two on two. I think that   
merits some cheesesteaks."  
She smiled and kissed him. "Take me to the store. I'll make   
you something."  
"Really?" He had known before that Lita was in the School   
of Culinary Arts. He just hadn't realized how very deserving she   
was of that space until he actually tried her Eggs Benedict and   
devoured the entire thing before it had a chance to cool down from   
scalding. Zach was the only resident of the house that had a   
morsel of culinary skill, and it was limited to hot dogs and   
chocolate milk.   
"Sure. Get your keys. We'll take the Shaggin' Wagon for a   
spin."  
" For the love of--! It is not a station wagon!"  
  
***********  
Mina just missed Lita and Matt by a few minutes, who were both   
leaving with Serena and Darien. Lita had unwisely offered to cook for   
Serena too, and they ended up having to take the whole affair to Darien's   
because, according to Lita, "He has bigger pans, and if I'm cooking   
for Serena…I'm sorry! You know I didn't mean anything by it, girl!"   
Amy and Zach had ventured back to her dorm to "study" which was what   
they were calling it these days. Raye and Jay hadn't been back to   
the apartment yet, and probably weren't going to return.   
Kevin had settled down like a potted plant in front of the   
television with his history book balanced on one knee and a TV   
guide on the other, trying to gauge which had more value: catching   
up on his reading or an impromptu "ALF" marathon on TV Land. Jesus   
H. Christo, I have to buckle down with my work; one day I'm going to   
be in charge of entire armies of Earth and defend an entire friggin'   
planet from outside threats and I'm sitting here wondering if eons   
of rises and falls of ancient civilizations are parallel with a   
midget in an alien suit. He idly flipped through the channels,   
not realizing that five channels ago he had flipped past a rebroadcast   
of the movie "Codename Sailor V," on Cinemax, starring none other   
than his girlfriend at the age of thirteen years old. Someone   
knocked.   
"I'll get it," he said aloud to the empty apartment.   
Mina's eyes lit up like a thousand birthday candles when   
he opened the door. She watched with amusement as his expression   
went from delighted to shocked to puzzled, and she knew what was   
coming.  
"You cut your hair," he said simply, like she did it every   
day. She mouthed the words along with him. Oh he looks so cute   
when he's all confused!   
She smiled and threw herself at him, grabbing him around   
the chest and squeezing. He squeezed back, nearly cutting off   
her air. She pressed her face against his shirt, inhaling his   
heat and scent while he kissed the top of her head. "I saved you   
a trip to the airport," she said once enough oxygen had filled her   
lungs to speak.   
"How did you get home?"  
"I called a cab."  
He released her, but kept his huge hands wrapped around   
her biceps. "You should have called me." His voice was all   
business.  
She put on her best don't-be-mad-at-me face. "I wanted to   
surprise you."  
Kevin reached up and fingered one of the shorter layers   
framing her face. "I'm surprised." He bent down and kissed her   
so lightly she didn't know if she imagined it.   
"Yeah, well, it always comes back when I'm Sailor--," A guy   
came down the hall and passed her. "Uh, when I'm sailing." That   
had to be the worst cover I've ever come up with!   
The guy was stuffing an obviously oversized garbage bag down   
the chute, and it seemed to have gotten stuck. Kevin looked up   
briefly before returning his gaze to her face. "Oh, yeah, mine   
does too. I also experience, um, nautical hair." You idiot, it's   
not going to fit down the chute! Just walk it down to the dumpster,   
you lazy moron, you're only on the third floor!   
Despite Kevin's mental abuse, the hapless guy managed to cram   
the overstuffed Hefty down the shaft. They could hear it slide   
slowly down the sides of the narrow metal chute. He exited the   
stairwell.   
Mina turned back to the object of her affection. "I missed   
you," she murmured, standing slightly on tiptoes to kiss him.   
Their faces met halfway. God did I miss him. I must have thought   
of him once every two seconds, minimum. She dropped her purse   
on the floor and wrapped her arms around his neck.   
Two guys passed them in the hallway, one laden down with   
pizza boxes. "Aw, Belles, take it inside!" One yelled. Mina   
and Kevin broke apart, both reddening.  
"Yeah bro!" The other hooted. They disappeared inside of   
4C.  
Wanting to face no other hallway interrogations, they   
moved inside and remembered to bolt the door behind them. Mina   
got right down to business. "So did I miss anything?" She   
didn't mean any good parties, either, and Kevin wouldn't have   
thought otherwise.  
"No, it was actually a pretty quiet weekend. We had one   
attack today, a single youma, and we took care of it no problem."   
Mina screwed up her face.   
"Only one? I wonder what Beryl's up to." She bit her lower   
lip. "You know the drill, right? Anything you think you can't   
handle…"  
"I know, call you and you'll teleport over." He didn't   
really like the idea of her teleporting such long distances; the   
one and only time she had teleported from over five miles away   
had drained her so much that she almost immediately fainted after   
making the scene.   
They settled on the couch; obviously the ALF marathon had   
triumphed over History 121. Mina snuggled under Kevin's arm,   
letting her head droop onto his chest. She must have been more   
exhausted than she previously thought, because the next thing she   
knew the phone was ringing and "ALF" had been replaced with "All   
in the Family".   
"Yeah, OK." Kevin hung up. "Matt is staying over Lita's."   
The muffled sounds of a party drifted up through the floor.  
She blinked and tried to wipe some of the crud out of her   
eyes. "Where is everyone, anyway?"  
"At someone else's place. We've got the whole house to   
ourselves."  
Mina involuntarily shuddered. She felt a little uneasy   
whenever they were by themselves, not because she felt nervous   
around him, but for one simple fact that had been bugging her for   
over a month. She hadn't told him she was a virgin yet, and they   
really hadn't gone that far to begin with and even though he was   
one of the most mature and respectful guys she had met, the fact   
remained that he was still male, and in the 18-34 age demographic,   
and therefore horny. She didn't really know how to bring it up for  
one thing, and she wasn't really sure if she was ready to go that   
far, and how exactly she felt about Kevin was enough to send her   
mind reeling into a single sentence that contained more than one   
rambling thought and seemed to have no end in sight…  
Kevin yawned. "Do you want to stay over?" Her eyes widened   
until one could see Archie Bunker reflected off the blue orbs.   
"What?" she croaked, wishing her voice didn't sound as   
tight and dry as it did.  
He absently scratched his arm. "Stay over here tonight.   
Tomorrow I'll take you to class."  
Her stomach tightened. "Um, OK." She lay back down on   
his stomach.   
"Let's go in my bed," he said after a few minutes, and   
stood up. Mina sat on the couch like an anchor.   
"Um, why?" she asked. He looked down on her and smiled;   
she looked so innocent and sweet, just like a little girl.  
"Because I kind of don't fit on the couch," he explained.   
He held his hand out. "Come on."  
She looked at him for a few seconds. "I don't know."  
He didn't have a chance to respond to that, because she cut   
him off by blurting out, "I'm a virgin."  
He almost laughed at the situation, if her eyes hadn't been   
so serious. "Mina…"  
"I mean, I don't know, I mean, I don't think that, well,   
um, I, uh…"  
"Mina."  
"Like, if you were expecting something else…"  
"Mina?"  
"I didn't know how to bring it up, and I know…"  
"Mina!" She stopped jabbering and looked up at him. "I   
meant sleep, you know, REM, that sort of thing?"  
She felt her face burning hotter than Raye's sacred fire.   
"Oh. Yeah. I knew that."  
"I wasn't trying to get with you."   
Silence. "Not that I wouldn't want to, God, I'd be crazy   
not to want to..."  
"I understand," Mina said, standing up. They stood,   
staring at each other for a few seconds. Kevin broke the silence.  
"God, I'm an idiot."  
Mina smiled. "I am too. We belong together."  
We belong together.   
Once inside the bedroom, Mina stripped down to her underwear   
by the dim light of the desk lamp and crawled into Kevin's bed.   
Outside, a low rumble of thunder rolled in from the distance.   
Kevin clicked off the desk lamp and crawled in next to her,   
wrapping his arms around her and drawing her body towards him.   
She sighed happily and snuggled into his embrace.  
"You're a man wall, you know?" she muttered sleepily.   
And he was. His body was as hard as a galvanized anvil.   
She awoke several hours later, to the sound of rain pattering   
against the roof and windows. She turned her head as far as   
Kevin's elbow around her neck would allow, and watched the rills  
of water streaming down the glass windowpane. Lightening flashed   
blue-white, and a few seconds later thunder crashed overhead.   
Mercury and Jupiter. She thought idly.   
She turned her head back around, her face resting inches   
from Kevin's. Lightening flashed again, illuminating his face.   
She touched his cheek, rubbed her hand against his jaw line. His   
pale eyelashes seemed to faintly glow in the dim light. He was   
so beautiful; it hurt to look at him. She leaned forward and   
kissed him gently. He didn't stir.  
God, he really can sleep through the Apocalypse! He   
rolled over, mumbled something like, "…can't be seen here."  
Mina tried again, kissing his face and his neck until he   
opened his eyes. "Hey you."  
His fuzzy brain tried futilely to process through the dew   
of sleep. "What time is it?" he asked in the false presumption   
that it was time for class.   
"I don't know," Mina breathed, pressing her face closer   
to his and kissing him. He kissed her back, one hand running   
through her much-shorter hair. She pressed against his body   
with her own and ran her hands over his back, all the time   
smothering him with a kiss containing more than passion; it   
contained their souls. She moaned a little as he started kissing   
her neck. They rolled until she was on top of him.   
Mina's eyes were closed, so she couldn't see that Kevin's   
were open the entire time. Is she trying to kill me or   
something? He didn't know what to make of her extreme   
signs of affection right after her nervous declaration of   
virginity. All he knew was that he was having one hell of a   
time controlling himself when the girl of his dreams has just   
assaulted him. What's worse, he didn't think he could stop.   
She broke away, opened her eyes and met his. She stared   
into them, seeing past the optic functions and saw him, the   
essence of what made him human. It was then that her mind was   
made up. He stared back, drowning in blue and wondering if   
she really was an angel, because she was too beautiful to be   
human. Something passed between them, and the next thing Kevin   
knew he was hearing his own voice.  
"I love you." Immediately alarms went off in his head,   
fearing the worst.   
Mina leaned in closer, brushing her lips against his eyelids.   
He sucked in his breath. "I love you," she whispered, her heart  
pounding so hard she could hear blood coursing in her ears.   
"I've loved you since I first saw you in the bookstore." She ran   
her lips down his face. "I've loved you before I even saw your   
face."   
She sat up slightly and pulled her bra off over her head,   
wiggled out of her underwear. Lightening flashed through the   
windows.   
She bent back down, her hair brushing his face. He   
swallowed. "Mina, are you   
s--?"  
"Yes."   
Outside, thunder rumbled, low and long.  
************  
  
Serena yawned, unabashedly exposing her tonsils to   
her boyfriend. She snuggled down, trying to get comfortable   
against Darien's chest. He wrapped his arms around her. Despite being   
wrapped in the warmest, safest spot outside of the human womb, an   
overwhelming feeling of foreboding was saturating her to the cracks   
of her teeth. It gripped at her in the darkness like a disembodied   
hand, feeling around for a fissure it could pervade. She shut her   
eyes tight to it, closed her mouth, resisted the urge to pinch   
her nostrils shut. She wanted to cry out to it, beg it to leave   
her alone, but she knew that once it did, it would simply spread   
on, to Darien, perhaps, then Raye, or Mina or Amy or whoever was   
closest and most unfortunate.   
"Can you feel it?" Her voice was thunderous in the thick   
silence.   
Darien opened his eyes and stared down at her delicate   
profile. She was so small, so innocent, it was almost hard to   
believe how much power she possessed. But she was still human,   
still vulnerable. "Yes." It pricked at him too, and filled   
him with the same kind of fear that was brimming in Serena.   
"Its-terrible. It's so cold it hurts."  
She sighed. "Beryl's hate is cold. Cold enough to burn.   
Darien, I-" her voice choked. "I don't know how to stop it.   
And it's coming, I can feel it. That witch won't stop until   
we're all dead, especially me."  
He gripped her so hard she gasped. "I won't let it   
happen."  
"What if you can't stop it? She defeated us once,   
remember? We thought we had the upper hand, and the kingdom   
still fell. What are we going to do differently this time if   
we can't remember what happened then?"  
He ground his teeth in the darkness. Outside, the acrid   
electrical feel of the air was brewing itself into a tempest.   
"I don't know, Serena. But I'll do anything to protect you and   
this Earth. And this time I have backup."  
"I won't let you die for me," she whispered to him after   
he had fallen asleep. A tear escaped her eye and skated down   
her cheek and onto her brooch. She wore it in her sleep anymore;   
she was afraid not to. Mother, please help us. We can't do   
it alone. Her mind grew heavy and she slept.   
  
***********  
Darien thought he was awake. His bedroom was dark, Serena   
was breathing heavily under his arm, and he could hear Artemis   
in the hallway purring in his sleep. The room was slightly   
muggy; it was thunderstorming outside. Underneath the crashing  
of thunder, he could barely detect a car alarm whining in the   
distance. Everything seemed the same; completely normal if   
Queen Serenity hadn't been standing in front of his closet,   
illuminating the room with soft white light.  
"You're dreaming, Darien," she said to him before he could   
reach over and pinch himself. "I chose to appear to you this way;  
otherwise, this would cause quite a scene to others, wouldn't it?"   
He opened and closed his mouth automatically. "Is Serena   
dreaming of you too?" He didn't doubt for a second that this was   
really THE Queen standing before him; he also didn't doubt that   
she couldn't appear in two places at once. Or three. Or ten.   
She smiled; her face so much like Serena's it was almost   
impossible to distinguish the two. "Yes, she is. But what she   
sees tonight will not be the same as what you see. Or what everyone   
else sees." She extended one hand to him. "I need to show   
you, Endymion. I didn't know when I would, but Beryl draws   
closer every day, and we don't have much time left."  
He left his bed and the comfort of the embrace upon it.   
"What am I going to see?"  
"I'm afraid I can't show you everything, it would be too   
much to process and might drive you insane. You wouldn't be able   
to separate your old life from your new, your Silver Millennium   
memories from your present ones." She looked genuinely sorry that   
she couldn't show her everything. "I can only show you what you   
did not see, and I hope it will be of some help."   
"I understand, your Highness," Darien said. "Thank you."   
He took her hand; the skin on it was so pale and delicate it   
could have been the petal of a white flower. She looked exactly   
like her daughter, but through her hand Darien felt the years and  
wisdom under the surface, and was calmed by it. She exuded peace,   
composure, tranquility power so great Darien felt that if they   
had her on their side, they could take on the Dark Kingdom, the   
National Guard, and the Denver Broncos all at the same time and   
emerge victorious.   
The room swirled around him and blurred together into   
blackness. Darien squeezed Serenity's hand. "What's happening?"   
She placed her other hand on top of his. "We're going   
back, Endymion, back to a time and place you have long forgotten."   
She looked directly into his eyes. "These are just shadows, remember   
that. The people within cannot see or hear you. You can't change   
the outcome, because it already has been decided. The modern   
equivalent of it would be television." She smiled again, this   
time in amusement. "My daughter seems to be addicted to it."   
"Yeah." Darien felt his own face crack into a grin. Serena   
did like her television; that was an undisputed fact.   
He felt the air change first. The temperature plummeted   
until it nipped at his bare skin and raised goose bumps. His bare   
toes felt like they had been plunged in ice water. He exhaled   
white air vapors; Serenity did not. Something smelled wrong, too,   
a coppery odor hung heavily in the frigid air. The surface   
beneath his feet grew colder, too, and was peppered with little   
rocks. Darien breathed onto his frozen fingers and took in the   
scene before him.  
They were in a room with dark stone walls and floor, cold   
and undecorated. It reminded Darien of basic prison lodging in   
Alcatrez. A single barred window let in thin streams of silver   
moonlight, the only means of illumination besides Queen Serenity   
herself. Then he saw the four bodies.   
Darien clapped his hands over his mouth, partially with horror   
and partially to keep himself from vomiting. Wave after wave of   
dizziness assaulted him, until he felt that it would stop only when   
his head exploded. They were there, in front of him. Three of   
them were gone; the fourth was almost there, and he could only   
stand there and watch. The Prince of Earth had been demoted to   
innocent bystander.   
Kunzite was definitely the most horrifying. He lay to Darien's   
far right, next to a wooden door that looked as thick and impassive  
as the solid stone walls. It was ironically barred, as if the four   
occupants inside were that much of a flight risk. He lay in a huge   
pool of blood, his uniform and hair soaked maroon, no doubt from the   
huge slash that ran across his throat. Darien was suddenly reminded   
of those news reports on TV of oil spills, and how the greasy crude   
would cling to the feathers of hapless birds and dye their pillowy   
feathers black as they writhed with pain and died, their insides   
poisoned from the same thing that coated their bodies. There even   
was a splash pattern of it over his face, so that every part of   
him was saturated dark with blood except his eyes, leaving Darien   
no choice but to focus on them. His gray eyes were open, but   
flat, unseeing, the life flown from them. They were horrible,   
the reminder that Kunzite was indeed gone. He was thoughts,   
feelings, memories, not the cold body on the floor.   
"No," Darien felt himself whisper. Jadeite lay nearest to Kunzite,   
and his eyes were mercifully closed. Several spots of blood had   
leaked through his white uniform, presumably from broken bones.   
His face was puffed and bloody, and Darien wondered why it wasn't   
bruised before he realized that Jadeite had died before his   
blood had a chance to clot. It was unfathomable to see Jadeite   
dead; Darien half expected, no, half wished that he would   
suddenly sit up with a big grin on his face. "Ha, got you!   
Did you really think I was dead, Endymion? Gods, you're easier   
to trick than Zoicite!"   
Darien had to smile despite the lump in his throat; Jadeite   
had obviously gone down fighting, there was no other way he   
would go down. He had died how he had lived.  
Zoicite lay crumpled next to the far wall. His face was as pale as candle   
wax, but other than that Darien could see no other physical   
injuries besides a thin trickle of blood from his ear. He simply   
looked as if he had suddenly fallen ill and decided to go to   
sleep where he had been standing. Farther up the wall was a   
splash pattern of blood, about eye level with Darien. He   
wanted to go up to Zoicite, shake him, wake him out of the nap   
he was in before he started snoring.   
Someone gasped. Darien swiveled around instinctively.   
Nephrite lay at Queen Serenity's feet, and she was staring down   
sadly at him. He was still alive, shivering on the cold ground,   
his hand pressed against one of the bleeding wounds on his sides.   
His eyes were shut, and tears had washed tracks through the blood   
on his face. Darien guessed that he had been standing directly   
in front of Kunzite when he had been executed. His lips moved   
in an inaudible prayer, and Darien dropped to his knees beside him.  
"Nephrite!" he cried, grabbing for one of his hands. It  
simply passed through, like grabbing a cloud. He tried again, and   
the same thing happened. He shook his head numbly and turned to   
Serenity.   
"Please," he begged. "You have the power."  
She shook her head, her flowing silver ponytails swaying   
back and forth softly like gauze curtains in front of an open   
window. "I'm sorry Endymion, I can't do anything that would   
affect the future…"  
"He won't know!" By the way she bristled, Darien was   
immediately sorry that he had shouted. "Please," he choked again,   
the lump in his throat making it difficult to enunciate. "Don't   
let him die alone."  
Serenity closed her eyes momentarily; in the pale glow of   
moonlight, she was too beautiful to describe. He didn't notice   
her touching her brooch, since at that moment he touched Nephrite's   
hand and felt it, as solid and clammy as ever.   
He squeezed it; Nephrite did not squeeze back. He didn't   
seem to give any indication that he was even aware of Darien's   
presence, much less his touch. "Nephrite, it's me, Endymion!   
Can you hear me? Nephrite!" His voice was high and tight with   
desperation. He felt someone touch his shoulder lightly, and   
almost jumped out of his skin. "Can't you do anything?" He asked   
Serenity. "You have the crystal, can't you save him?" Oh God,   
save at least one. I couldn't take it if all four were gone.   
Please, I can't live without them.   
A tear slipped down her face as she shook her head.   
"I'm sorry, Endymion, I can't change the past. These are all   
just memories, remember."   
He turned his attention back to Nephrite, who was shaking   
so violently that his teeth clicked together. He said something.   
"What?" Darien bent his head over until his ear was almost   
in Nephrite's mouth.   
"Rei," he whispered weakly. "Rei-please hear me." His   
breath was coming too fast, too shallow. "Rei, please-" He fell   
silent, and Darien suddenly understood. Nephrite, the most   
psychic among them, was desperately trying to relay a message   
to Rei, another clairvoyant, and the only person that would be   
able to receive such a telepathic message. Even Darien,   
possibly the most non-telepathic person on the face of the   
earth besides Kunzite, felt the thin hums of energy pass tangibly   
around him as Nephrite's mental currents emanated from his   
mind with astounding power.   
He coughed wetly, bringing up blood, and Darien's stomach   
sank when he realized that Nephrite was dying in front of him.   
Mamoru Chiba had never actually seen another human being die,   
and fear mixed with sorrow overwhelmed him and he began weeping.   
"Please, Nephrite, don't," he pleaded, all the time knowing   
it was useless. Nephrite's lips stopped moving, and his breath   
came slower. Darien gripped his hand so tight he broke two   
of Nephrite's fingers, but he wasn't conscious to feel it. He   
cradled his trembling body in his lap. "Nephrite, it's OK,   
I'm here. I won't leave you. I'm-" His voice cut out and he   
sobbed.   
It was incredibly horrifying to watch another human   
die, simply because death didn't work as cleanly as in the   
movies, when one World War II soldier whispered his last   
goodbyes and keeled over neatly in his comrade's arms.   
Real death was slow, painful, merciless. Nephrite hung on   
for another twenty agonizing minutes, struggling in his   
shallow, slow breaths and exhaling death, trembling from cold   
and shock. Darien stayed with his friend until his breathing   
slowed until it stopped, like a watch winding down, and his   
shaking body relaxed and was still.   
Darien bowed his head and wept until he had dehydrated   
his body of tears.   
Gently, like he was handling a newborn, he laid   
Nephrite's head back onto the hard stone floor.   
"Endymion?" Serenity's voice momentarily startled   
him out of his grief.   
He raised his eyes to her, and was shocked to see   
that her eyes were as pain-filled as his own. "What is   
this place?" he asked, already half-knowing the answer.   
She extended one hand and helped him to his feet.   
"Some hidden corner of the Dark Kingdom, somewhere so deeply   
buried that only Metallia, Beryl, and her inner circle would   
know where to find it. Do you understand why I brought you   
here, to see these things?"  
Darien nodded; he knew. It was hurting Serenity to   
show it almost as much as it was hurting him to see, but he   
knew what she was saying. "This cannot happen again, Endymion.   
You think you are invincible now," she glanced quickly at the   
still bodies lying on the floor. "You also thought you were   
invincible then."  
"I understand." He spoke the truth.  
"Please, Endymion, Darien, Mamoru, protect the Earth and   
the people upon it, for your own sake and the future's.   
Metallia must not win; the Dark Kingdom must be defeated or   
history-" She gestured. "-will undoubtedly repeat itself. I   
trust you, I know that you will make everything right." She   
smiled and embraced him. "I'm sending you back now. Do not   
forget what you have seen and remember what I have told you.   
We can win this, Endymion, this time perhaps with less sacrifice."   
"I'll never forget," he said. "How can I?"  
Her breath was close to his ear when she spoke. "I   
showed Serena something different, but she will know what to   
do." She smiled and kissed him gently on the forehead. "Now   
awaken, Darien."  
"Thank you-" he managed to get out before she disappeared,   
and the blackness rushed in to fill the void that her light once   
filled. He had a sudden vision of the present: he saw himself   
lying in bed with Serena, her head tucked under his arm. He   
saw Mina and Kevin sleeping in each other's arms as water dripped   
steadily down the windowpane. Saw Lita and Matt curled into   
spoons on Serena and Lita's beds pushed together. Saw Zach and   
Amy asleep on top of the covers of Amy's bed, both having crashed   
fully clothed, Zach merrily snoring away. Saw Raye wearing Jay's   
T-shirt as she yawned and rolled over on top of him.   
He awoke to daylight, to Serena's dead weight pressing   
down on his arm, which he couldn't feel at all. "Hey," he said   
softly, shaking her.   
She sat upright and gasped. "Darien, my mother-"  
"I know."  
************  
  
"Hey guys," Zach said, stepping aside and letting Matt   
and Lita enter. "How was class?"   
"Sucked," Lita grouched. "I can't believe I made my   
eight o' clock. Oh, hey guys." Amy and Jay were sitting at   
the kitchen table, books open in front of them. Apart from the   
scratching of pencils, the apartment was completely silent.   
Matt ran into the bathroom to pee.   
"Hi," Amy replied, sending Jay into a snit.   
"C'mon Amy, concentrate! I only have an hour until this   
test!"   
"Ok!" She turned her attention back to teaching Jay two   
month's worth of chemistry in sixty minutes.   
"Why is it so quiet in here-gaah!" Matt had turned and   
glimpsed a sight that he could have lived his life very happily   
without seeing: Kevin and Mina asleep in bed, both clearly   
naked. "Jeez Louise why hell can't they just shut the door?"   
Everyone looked at him strangely, especially Lita.   
"Matt, what are you talking about?" she asked carefully,   
like a hostage negotiator.   
"Them!" he spat, waving towards the scene of the crime.   
"Kevin, Mina, they're naked and they didn't even close the   
door! Oh my God, I think I've lost ninety percent of my vision!"  
Now they were looking at him like he was completely   
insane. Amy and Zach exchanged glances, and Zach shrugged.   
Lita took over. "Um, Matt," she said gently. "The door   
IS closed."  
He looked back, and did a double take. Lita was right;   
the door was closed, and he was facing a solid wall. His   
mouth dropped open; he wondered if he really clinically was   
going insane. "But-" he muttered, not knowing what else to   
say.  
Zach opened the bedroom door and crack, peeked in, and  
quickly shut it again. "You're right." He knitted his brow   
together as he thought. "Hold on one second." He ran in the   
bathroom, shut the door, and called through: "OK, Matt, tell   
me what you see…now!"  
Matt faced the door, at first only seeing the white   
paint of the door like always, but then it seemed to waver   
and melt away, and the white faded from view and he could   
see through the door like glass. Zach was inside, facing   
Matt, his middle finger upraised.   
"I see you flipping me off," Matt said loudly, not   
caring if he woke everyone up. "Zach! I can see through   
walls!" His voice rose to a pitch he hadn't hit since before   
puberty.   
"Holy crap," Jay said, joining them in the hallway.   
"Matt, you have like, Spidey-Sense."  
Amy instantly whipped out her computer and started   
calculating. "Well, this is quite unusual," she mumbled to   
herself.  
"Care to share?" Lita grumbled.   
"It seems like all three of you have some, how shall  
we call it? Latent magic?" Everyone's ears piqued with interest.   
"According to my calculations, this magic stayed in with your   
bodies from your past lives, and it manifests itself in   
individual ways. Zach, you can create new material simply   
by touching the old. You can obviously see through walls,   
Matt."  
"It takes some concentration," he explained, rubbing his   
forehead to alleviate the pain behind his eyes. "My eyes hurt."  
"That should pass," she said flippantly. "And Kevin has   
photographic memory, so that just leaves you, Jay."  
Jay swallowed. "I know! But I suck; I haven't been able   
to do anything magical yet except pass out all the time." He   
ran his hand nervously through his hair, and continued.   
"Everyone else seems to have all these abilities and what   
if I never develop any? I mean-" He stopped when he realized   
everyone was staring at him with their eyes popping out of   
their heads. "What is it?"  
Zach lifted one finger and pointed. "Your-your head!"   
he gasped. "Jay, look what you did to your hair!"   
He frowned. "Straub, what the hell are you talking   
about?"  
"Just go look!"  
"OK! Jeez…" He clicked the light on in the bathroom.   
I'll show them. He casually turned to the mirror, all   
Rico Suave, and almost fainted.   
His hair was blue. Completely blue. So blue that he   
and Amy looked like fraternal twins. He rushed back out into   
the hallway, his eyes wild.   
"What the hell happened?" he screamed. The door opened   
behind them and Kevin leaned out, bleary-eyed.   
"Would you guys, holy hell!" He stared at Jay, incredulous.   
"What did you dye your hair for?"  
"I didn't dye it!" Jay said, frantically grabbing at it.   
Two silver patches appeared from underneath his hands when he   
took them away.   
"Whoa!" Lita exclaimed. "What the hell is going on?"   
She took his head in her hands and examined it. Amy had an   
epiphany.  
"Jay?"   
"Yeah?"   
"When you first touched your head, were you looking at   
me?"   
Jay faltered, his blue and silver hair comical against   
the scared s-less expression on his face. "I don't know! I   
guess so! Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?   
If Raye sees me with blue hair she'll have me by my balls!"  
Amy reached over, grabbed Matt's arm, and positioned   
him in front of Jay. "All right, Jay, I want you to do   
something for me. Close your eyes." He closed them.   
"Concentrate really hard on what Matt looks like. Imagine   
his hair color, his eye color, how his face is shaped, how   
big his ears are…"  
"What up? My ears aren't big!"  
"Just picture it in your head, Jay, don't think of   
anything else."  
"OK." His voice came out in a whisper as he squeezed   
his eyes shut.   
"Ready?"  
"Ready."   
"OK, now run your hands over your head."  
Jay placed his hands over his face and wiped upwards   
over his face and through his hair. The new face emerging   
from his hands had a rounder jaw, a longer nose, and a darker   
shadow of beard. The hair was brown and considerably shorter   
than Jay's blond mop. It was Matt's face, Matt's hair, and   
when the eyes were opened, Matt's brown eyes.   
Five jaws dropped, Matt's the lowest. "Oh," he managed   
to squeak.  
"My God," Kevin finished for him. Jay popped into the   
bathroom again, and screamed.   
"YES! FINALLY!!! I HAVE A POWER!!!"  
"It's almost like he has a built-in disguise pen,"   
Amy said, pulling up more data on her computer.   
"I CAN MAKE MYSELF LOOK LIKE DEREK JETER! OR BILL   
GATES! OR THE PRESIDENT!"  
"Anyone else think that Jay should NOT be the one   
possessing this kind of power?" Zach asked the general   
populace. "This is like giving a five year old an AK-47."  
"Or like giving Serena a credit card," Mina said,   
emerging from the bedroom wearing last night's extremely   
wrinkled clothes. Kevin put his arm around her.   
Jay popped out of the bathroom, this time sporting   
black hair and blue eyes. "Hey look I'm Darien! Do you   
think Serena will know the difference?"  
"Oh, yeah, I feel real safe," Lita moaned, escaping   
to the safety of the living room and TV.  
At that moment, the real Darien Chiba burst through   
the door without knocking, carrying a plastic Wal-Mart bag   
with what looked like a toy plastic boomerang poking out.   
"Hey everyone-JEEZ!" A flash of light temporarily blinded   
everyone, and Tuxedo Mask stood where Darien had been   
moments ago.   
Jay tossed his head back, transforming back to   
his normal visage as he did so. "No! Wait! Darien, it's   
just me!"  
Tuxedo Mask pulled off his eyewear. "How on God's   
green Earth did you do that?!"   
"I rule," Jay said simply. Darien simply shook his   
head.  
"Anyway, what time do you guys have class?"  
"An hour."  
"Two hours."  
"Not until one."  
"Uh, actually, now, I think."  
"I need to see you guys tonight," Darien spoke only   
to the guys. "It's imperative."  
They exchanged looks, confused. "Sure, Darien," Matt   
said. "What's going on?"  
Darien clutched his bag tighter, so that the rubber   
boomerang bent under the pressure of his hands. "They're  
coming. We have to be prepared this time."  
  
  
************************************************************  
  
ok as you noticed at the top of this one...i had no idea  
what to write when i started...but im getting there!  
thank you to everyone who emailed me, you don't know   
how much it means....thank you again!  
Venusorbit1@aol.com 


	10. 10

Part 10---holy Moses!  
  
R!   
  
Did everyone see that? This part is so rated R, for several  
reasons, but one of them being the fact that the truck-  
driver word was kept in its entirety, and variations  
of it appear, etc. And, once again, i revert back  
to the Dawson's Creek analogy: if you are young and   
innocent or deeply religious, don't read this. I say again:   
people have sex. It happens. And it's not that bad.   
Dawson's creek looks like hard-core porn next to this...but  
still, i'm ready to be flamed alive. All disclaimers apply,   
including i dont own sailor moon, and ANY brand name (e.g.   
Geo Prism, Newports, Subway, etc.) Just to be on the   
safe side, i dont' own MLB, any of the team names, players  
or managers. If i did, i would be swimming in my money.   
  
Oh, and another note? i think there's only one part after  
this. I'm almost done!  
Tell me what you think. Be brutally honest: Venusorbit1@aol.com  
  
  
Crud! forgot this too! I have skipped a huge segment of time,   
but once im done with this entire series i might go back and   
write kind of like a side story about what happened on spring  
break. I felt it the story would have been just filler if i   
included it.   
  
  
***************************************************************  
Mina watched the scenery flash by the window,   
all of it clouded behind the curtain of cold gray   
water falling from the sky. Her window was open a   
crack, and occasionally a trickle of rain would   
blow in and splatter her across the face. She   
welcomed the refreshment, since it was beginning   
to get unbearably stuffy in the car. Kevin had   
lowered the volume on the radio until it was barely   
audible; the repetitive squeaking of the windshield   
wipers drowned it out. Miles passed before her   
half-lidded eyes; she longed to let them drop shut,   
but Kevin was looking a little haggard and either   
she or Raye was taking the wheel at the next rest   
stop.  
Kevin glanced at her quickly, trying to keep   
his eyes on the slippery road and avoid killing them   
all. Raye and Jay were in the backseat, Jay's head   
on Raye's lap while he slept. It was Sunday, and   
they were returning to school after Spring Break,   
spent rather uneventfully at Junta, California, due   
to lack of funds to travel somewhere sunnier and   
with easier access to alcohol.   
Well, not completely uneventful. Mina had spent   
half of her break in L.A., at another shoot, and   
had spent the rest of the time at Kevin's house.   
She also had the experience of meeting Kevin's   
mega-bitchy ex-girlfriend, an incident that   
Kevin would have gladly forked over his entire   
life savings and a few expendable vital organs   
to avoid. Raye had stayed at the Melman   
household, which was an experience in itself. He   
doubted she had a moment to herself to meditate   
with four Melman males occupying the same space in   
close proximity to her personal being, and undoubtedly   
jostling for her undivided attention.  
Lita and Matt had stayed behind, since   
Matt's hometown was quite a distance away and   
Lita could not bring herself to board a plane   
again. Zach and Amy had traveled south, to San   
Francisco, taking Matt's new prized possession,   
a brand-new Celica. Matt's old Outback (station   
wagon!) had been relegated to his younger brother,   
Aaron, after Matt had begged his parents for a   
new car, based on the grounds of constant ridicule   
and personal embarrassment. Matt had given Zach   
the keys only after grilling him for two hours on   
his driving record, his knowledge of manual transmission,   
and the highway laws of California. There had been   
a tear in his eye after Zach and Amy had pulled   
away from the curb.   
Kevin smiled to himself; Matt would have lent   
Zach his car if Zach was on the verge of losing his   
license and was wanted by the F.B.I. and fleeing the   
country. Matt was rich; he knew he was rich and he   
didn't have any qualms about sharing his wealth with   
the non-rich, mainly, them. Even if Matt were penniless   
he would have given the shirt off of his back; he   
was that kind of guy. Kevin estimated that altogether   
he, Zach, and Jay owed Matt roughly fifteen hundred   
dollars. Matt would never ask for it back, though,   
and had probably long forgotten about it.   
Jay snorted and squirmed in his sleep; he hadn't   
been feeling well that day, and Kevin suspected that   
he was coming down with something. Mina reached   
back and placed a hand on Jay's forehead.   
"He's hot," she muttered, and began shuffling   
through her purse, searching for some Tylenol.   
"Good thing his mom didn't know," Raye said,   
leaning her head against the window. "She   
probably would have kept him at home until he   
recovered."   
"He has a game on Tuesday," Kevin remembered.   
"Zach, too."  
"I don't know if he'll make it," Raye said,   
her voice soft and full of concern. She ran a hand   
lovingly through Jay's disheveled blond mop. He   
shifted again, kicking the back of Kevin's seat.   
Mina smiled softly. Raye had mellowed out   
tremendously in the last few months; whether it   
was because of Jay she did not know. She watched  
as Raye stroked Jay's head with the tenderness   
that a mother reserves for her child. Kevin had   
slumped tremendously in his seat, and she reached  
over and felt his forehead, too, and almost scared   
him half to death in the process.   
"You're kind of hot, too."  
"Thanks. I know."  
She grinned. "I meant temperature wise.   
Do you feel OK?" Her hand traveled down to his   
cheek, where she let it linger for a few moments.   
"I'm OK," he insisted, which everyone knew   
was a fallacy; Kevin would insist that he was   
OK if both of his legs were severed and he had   
been shot.   
"I don't believe you!" she sang. "You're   
letting me drive at the next rest stop."   
"Yeah right, you're ready to drop off, too,"   
Raye said from the backseat. "I'll take over,   
if you can stand a forty pound head cutting off   
the circulation in your legs."   
"I think it's more along the lines of eight,   
you big baby," Mina said, unzipping her sweatshirt.   
"Jay's not that big a genius." It was getting too   
hot, and the Blazer's air conditioner was sporadic   
at best, and that was on a good day. They reached   
the rest stop a few minutes later, and Raye practically   
bolted out of the car all the while frantically   
rubbing the pins and needles out of her legs.   
Everyone except Jay stopped to pee, and when they   
hit the road again, Raye was behind the wheel   
(after pulling the seat almost all the way forward),   
Kevin was sitting shotgun and Jay's head was on   
Mina's lap. Soon, Mina leaned her head against   
the window and drifted off to sleep, and the loudest   
sound in the car was her heavy breathing.  
Kevin put one hand to his forehead and covered   
his eyes against the intrusive light, dim and   
gray as it was. Somewhere along the halfway   
point he had developed a killer headache so   
bad that he could feel the blood forcing its   
way through the constricted veins in his forehead.   
Mina's hand on his face had abated the pain for   
a few seconds, but he had the feeling that the   
only thing that could completely knock it away   
was a couple of Excedrin Migraines and a short,   
eight-hour nap.   
"You OK?" Raye was looking at him. "I think   
Mina has some Tylenol or something."  
He smiled wryly. "Tylenol isn't going to get   
rid of this one. I'm going to need some fucking   
Demerol or something."   
Raye swerved casually and cut off a van, who   
promptly beeped angrily with as much maniacal rage   
as a mechanical car horn could produce. "Screw   
you, bitch!" she screamed through the cracked window.   
Charming. Kevin thought, instantly   
regretting the decision to let Raye drive the   
rest of the way home. They'd be sending what was   
left of him home to his mother in a contact lens   
case.   
Raye broke into his mental calculation of Jay's   
patience times a fully loaded Raye-bomb. "Mina's   
hands took it away for a few seconds, didn't they?"   
He looked at her, surprised as the tenderness in   
her voice. She had relaxed from the van incident;   
her seat was back, her hand hung lazily on the   
bottom of the wheel, and black strands whipped   
backwards in the current of air blowing in. She   
was an entirely different person than the M-80   
who disregarded vehicular laws and harshly exploded   
at hapless bystanders. It was amazing how much   
Raye and Mina were alike; they could both switch   
emotions with the toss of a dime. Beneficial in   
some cases, Raye-bombed in others.   
"Yeah." He spoke the truth; Mina's hand had   
taken away the pain, at least temporarily.   
Unfortunately for him, it had came rushing back   
like water filling a pipe once she removed it,   
but those few seconds of pain-free clarity had   
been well worth it.   
A smile graced her face. "Her hands comfort,"   
she explained. "How can I say this without   
sounding like a sicko?" She gestured with her   
free hand. They give pleasure; they take away   
pain, that kind of thing. They comfort." She took   
her eyes off the road and looked directly at him,   
and Kevin was floored by the sheer amount of gravity   
hidden in the violet spheres. She continued smiling.   
"If Amy touched you, you wouldn't even have a headache   
now. Her hands heal." She raised one palm up for   
him to see. "Your hands are like mine."   
He blinked, and stared at Raye's small white   
palm versus his huge, callous, scarred paw. "How?"  
"They protect." He held his hand up to hers,   
and felt something like a magnetic field repelling   
them away from each other. The current shifted up his   
entire arm with a sensation similar to pins and needles.   
It hummed along his funny bone, and Kevin realized that   
he was touching magic, actual magic, magic that had   
existed long before he had, and would continue long   
after he was gone.   
"I can feel it."  
"I know. Zach and Lita would be able to feel it,   
too; their hands create."   
"What about everyone else? What do their hands do?"   
Raye would know. She knows everything. He felt he needed   
to know, that by knowing what their hands did, he would   
know them better.  
She glanced into the other lane and cut across.   
"Matt's hands unify." She tried to send him the mental   
image of a handshake, but doubted he received it. Kevin   
was about as intuitive as a plate of cheese. "He's a   
negotiator; he brings together. Jay's hands-" She stopped   
suddenly and grinned. "Jay's hands deceive, but not in a   
bad way, per se. He's clever, he's quick, and I can sense   
there's a higher purpose in his ability to disguise himself."   
She really does know everything. Kevin thought   
to himself. Raye practically exuded magic; sometimes he felt   
like she knew much more than what she let on. "What about   
Darien? And Serena?"  
Raye put one hand to her mouth, and was silent for a   
long time. Finally, she said, "Kevin, all I can feel from   
them is power. Unbelievable power. And love. If you could   
feel things the way I do, feel people, and then you would   
understand. You, for example, positively reek of authority."   
"Maybe I should switch deodorants," he deadpanned,   
at the same time trying to take in the gravity of her words.   
She laughed. "I feel it from Mina, too, and much more   
love. Whenever you're around her, you can't help but love her.   
You know what I'm talking about."   
"I do." Kevin didn't think he was alone in his feelings   
for her; one couldn't help but reciprocate the love that she   
emanated. People that couldn't feel it simply didn't want to,   
they refused the love given to them. The walls they built   
around their own hearts were so thick that Mina's golden   
magic couldn't penetrate them. Or they could be knocked   
down, all at once. Obliterated. On sight.   
Raye shot him a shrewd sideways glance. "You better   
not knock her up, big guy. She's my best friend, and I'll   
kick your ass." She wasn't threatening as much as she was   
revealing herself, and her feelings for her best friend, and   
how much she meant to her. But the threat was still present   
under the concealed sincerity, and one look at the Fire   
Senshi's face would tell that Raye Hino was by no means   
fucking around.   
"Don't worry," Kevin said simply. "And if you have   
any problems with Jay, tell me and I'll kick his ass for you.   
I've been doing that since…what? Fourth grade? Fifth? You   
know, it feels like I've known him forever already…"  
As if on cue, Jay flipped over again in his sleep,   
bonking his head off of the door in the process, but   
amazingly, remaining asleep the entire time. Raye smiled   
to herself, not realizing or not caring that Kevin was   
there to witness her private moment of contentedness.   
"Humor," she said aloud, partially to herself. "He is   
humor, it's what he knows."   
Miles passed in comfortable silence before they spoke   
again.   
  
  
***********  
  
Beryl's rage was so thick it was practically palpable,   
and her minions were not ignorant to the fact. The remaining   
shrunk back, out of sight, trying to keep out of sight as   
one of them presented the newest information to their queen,   
and faced her wrath alone.   
She stared at him through half-slitted eyes, strongly   
resembling a snake or some other reptile as the details turned   
over and over in her mind. Her red eyes bored into his, and   
for a long moment she was silent, and thinking. Finally she   
spoke.  
"And approximately how many students received the vaccine   
in the last year? Your life depends on your answer, Zoycite,   
so I would advise you choose your next few words VERY wisely."   
"Less than five percent," he said at last, hoping his   
own oversight wouldn't come back to rather harshly bite him   
in the ass.   
Beryl's hands unfurled; her long red nails flashing.   
"Less than five? There are four numbers less than five, Zoycite,   
don't try to insult my intelligence. Give me the straight odds;   
what are the chances our pretty little Senshi will come away   
unscathed?"  
Zoycite smiled grotesquely, for it was the only way he   
knew how. "Slim to none, your Highness. Those airheaded Senshi   
don't even know how to spell the word 'vaccination.'"  
There was a tense moment, as Beryl remained motionless,   
fixing Zoycite to the spot with her murderous gaze. Finally she   
relented.   
"Zoycite you had better be right on this one. I'm going   
to allow you this one, simply because I'm going to need you   
in the future. When did you plant the virus in the water   
supply?"  
"It's been two weeks now, your Highness. The students   
should be symptomatic by now."   
"Hmm, maybe you're not as idiotic as I thought you   
were." She smiled at him, the smile of an executioner before   
he raised his axe. "If the Senshi are sick, then they won't   
be able to fight, but knowing them and their overblown sense   
of humanity, they'll try. And when they do-" The three generals   
emerged from the shadows and joined Zoycite in front of the   
throne. "You four will eliminate them. ALL of them. And bring   
me that crystal, do you understand?"  
They bowed. "Yes, my Queen." They said in unison.  
"One more thing," she snapped. She stood to her full   
height. "Do whatever you want with the others, including the   
Moon Princess, but do not touch Endymion. He's mine, do you   
understand?"  
"Yes, my Queen."  
  
**********  
  
"How are they?" Darien asked, sitting in between Zach and   
Artemis on the couch to watch the game. He unwrapped his   
Subway on the coffee table and dug in.   
"Who cares?" Zach answered through a mouth full of turkey.   
"I was smart enough to get the flu shot, so screw them."  
Darien blanched as his pick for the Final Four blew a ten-point   
lead. "That's probably because you're grandmother made   
you." Artemis snickered along with him.   
"Eat me, Chiba. And Stanford sucks!"  
  
**********  
Mina entered the apartment without knocking as quietly   
as she could. The shopping bag she carried strained under   
the weight of its contents. They are such idiots!! They're   
all bedridden, so of course they leave the door unlocked so   
that anyone with two brain cells and a raging crack addiction   
could just waltz in and clean the place out! She tiptoed   
into the kitchen and started unpacking her giant bag.   
She entered Matt and Jay's bedroom first, and finding   
it unbearably stuffy, made a beeline right for the window   
and opened it, letting the warm breeze suck out all the   
stale sickness air. This was her second visit to the   
apartment that day, since Zach had opted to stay at Darien's   
until his roommates recovered, lest he too fall ill and   
miss a game like Jay did. Of all the girls, only Amy had   
the misfortune to catch the flu on its infectious trip   
around Bryce University.   
Matt had entangled himself in his comforter so badly   
that a section had wrapped itself around his neck and   
was threatening to cut off his air. He had most likely   
done it to himself while turning in his sleep; Matt slept   
like an eggbeater. Mina untangled it and made the bed   
over him again; ten seconds later he flipped over in his   
sleep and pulled them all sideways. She gave it up as a   
lost cause, and spread another blanket on top of him.   
Before she had left for class, he had had the chills. She   
laid the heating pad next to him just in case he woke up.   
Jay was softly snoring, a sure indicator that he was   
indeed very ill, since Jay rarely if ever snored, and only   
when he was in extremely deep sleep. His coach took the   
news of his illness quite in stride, since he too was   
plagued with the killer virus, as was nearly half of the   
baseball team. Mina pulled a bunch of bananas out of her   
bag and laid them on the bedside table next to the water   
pitcher; Jay had asked for bananas no less than thirty   
times before she left that morning, and she didn't know   
if it was genuine or delirious rambling. She brought   
some just in case. I could definitely not handle him   
begging for goddamn bananas again like a little girl…Oh   
what am I saying? I take that back! He's so sick, let the   
poor guy have his stupid bananas! She checked his   
forehead again, and was pleased to learn that his   
temperature had gone significantly down. She busied herself  
with replacing tissue boxes and refilling water glasses,   
her heart practically bursting with pride. This is what   
she was meant to do: comfort if she could not heal. Amy   
was the doctor; she was the nurse.   
Matt stirred again and slowly awoke. "Lita?" he   
whispered, his voice hoarse and weak.   
"No, Matt, it's me." She stood above him so he could   
recognize her face. "How are you feeling?"  
He sighed heavily and smiled at her. "There was   
this one game last year, against USC," he began. "It was   
the third period already, and I had been playing the entire   
game with a broken finger, right? On top of that I had a   
sinus infection, my head was killing me, and then this   
huge, HUGE motherfucker checked me on the glass so hard   
it knocked the wind out of me."  
Mina blinked. "Yeah?"  
He closed his eyes. "That was a friggin' love tap   
compared to this."  
She laughed briefly and handed him two white pills.   
"Here. Take this."  
"These roofies?" he asked, grinning slyly.  
"Yes, Matt, they are. I'm planning on knocking you   
unconscious and then having my way with you. With Jay in   
the room."  
"You probably already drugged him, didn't you?" He   
popped the pills in his mouth, and, to Mina's horror,   
swallowed them dry.   
Jay stirred and picked his head up. He was silent   
for a few minutes, collecting himself. "Mina?" he whispered.   
"Hi there." She bent down and checked his forehead.   
"Do you want anything, hon?"  
He stared at her blankly for a second, his eyes   
half-lidded and innocent, before flashing a conniving smile.   
"Yeah, I want you to sit on my face."  
Deathly ill or not, Mina smacked him in the head with a   
pillow while Matt split his side laughing. "Jerk! And I   
brought you your damn bananas!"  
"What bananas?"  
Kevin was sleeping when she entered the room, sprawled   
out on his back with his mouth hanging completely open. Mina   
giggled softly at the sight; she didn't know how he managed   
to look so adorable while revealing his molars. She tiptoes   
around the room, picking up stray tissues and clothes and   
whatever else happened to be obstructing the bathroom path.   
She was about to exit quietly when Kevin awoke.  
"Hey," he mumbled through the gag of exhaustion.   
"Don't go yet."  
She was at his side almost immediately. "Hey, how   
are you feeling?"  
"Like I just got sacked. This one time, when we   
were playing UCLA…"  
Mina rolled her eyes. "If this is another sports   
analogy, save it, please."   
Kevin smiled. "You're not the one who played with…"  
"Yes, I know! With a broken finger or a pulled muscle   
or a brain hemorrhage or no heartbeat! Jay and Matt have   
basically run the gamut already." She pressed a hand to his   
forehead, testing it. "And if you didn't want to get sick,   
why didn't you get the flu shot at the beginning of the year?   
The nursing program was giving them away free. Zach came by,   
I gave him one."   
"That's because Zach is whipped by his grandmother.   
And if I had known you were there I would have gotten two."  
She smiled and blushed at the same time and let her   
hair fall softly in front of her eyes. Kevin reached out and   
touched it.   
"Mina?"  
"Hmm?" She responded, clearing tissues and paper off   
of the miniscule bedside table.   
"Why did you want to become a nurse? Shouldn't you be   
majoring in like, runway or something?"  
She stopped as her eyes grew far away, and she spoke to   
the table as she shuffled its contents around. He didn't speak;   
he could tell her mind was in the past. "I used to do this   
all the time, back in Japan," she started. "Whenever one of   
my friends got sick, I felt like I had to do something, like   
I had to help them in some way or another. I hated it when   
people were sick and miserable, and I thought I could cheer   
them up and make them more comfortable. At first, I sucked   
at it. I had all good intentions, but I was a total klutz!   
Ask Raye, she'll tell you some stories." She laughed shortly   
and continued. "I just couldn't stand to see people suffering,   
especially my friends. As I got more practice I became good   
at it, and I would actually relieve their pain instead of causing   
it."  
"Causing it?" he echoed, suddenly afraid for his own   
safety.   
"Don't worry about it! I'm over my klutz phase!   
Anyway, when the time came to choose a major I realized   
that I might not make it as a model, and I needed something to   
fall back on, and the only thing I could see myself doing was   
helping people. I couldn't really make a career out of being   
a Sailor Senshi."  
"It would be a bitch to claim on your taxes, too."  
"That was Jay-ish! ANYWAY, I knew that I didn't have   
the discipline or the brains to be a doctor, and besides,   
that's Amy's thing. She's the doctor-" She placed two Tylenol   
in his hand and handed him the water glass. "-I'm the nurse.  
"Do you want anything else?"  
He swallowed his water. "Yeah, could you drag the TV   
in here and hook up the Playstation, change the oil in my car,   
and then give me a back rub while topless?"  
Sick or not sick, she couldn't believe that he had just   
said that. "How 'bout not?"  
He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto the   
bed with him. "Yikes! Kevin! You're going to stroke out or   
something!"  
He kissed her neck, her face, anywhere his lips   
touched. She shrieked and wiggled out of his grasp and   
propped herself up on one elbow. "How 'bout you get better   
so if we get a surprise from our otherworldly friends we won't   
totally get our asses kicked?"  
He pulled her close to him. "I'd kick their ass even   
if I had the Ebola virus."  
  
************  
  
Serena pulled her light jacket tight around her body   
trying to block off the chilly breeze, but it cut through the   
fabric and froze her skin anyway. "Goddess! Mamo-chan, if   
it's almost April, shouldn't it be getting hot or something?   
I'm freezing to death!"  
"Here," Darien said, unslinging Luna from around his   
neck and draping her over Serena's. "Luna's good for an   
extra hundred degrees."  
"I hope that's not all I'm good for," Luna muttered,   
curling her warm, fur-covered body around Serena's exposed   
neck. "Serena, the next time you leave the house, please   
consider the weather before you choose your outfits. I'm not   
a fashion accessory, you know."  
"I'm sorry, Luna, I'm cold!" she whined. "And scootch   
down a little; the back of my neck is freezing!"  
"Oh for Heaven's sake," Luna grouched, but obliged.  
"How's Amy?" Darien asked. "Zach finally went home today,   
I guess the guys are feeling better."  
"She's doing OK, but she's still a little weak. How   
did you keep from killing Zach, anyway?"  
Darien gritted his teeth at the memory of Zach squeezing   
the last of his Crest out onto his toothbrush and happily popping   
it into his mouth while chucking the empty tube. "He had two   
games and a few practices, so I didn't have to put up with him   
that much."  
Serena smiled from behind Luna's abdomen. She knew her   
boyfriend like the back of her hand, and she knew that he was   
talking out of his ass. He had probably had the time of his   
life in the week that Zach stayed over, watching March Madness   
and drinking beer. General male-bonding. She looped her arm   
around his. "Darien, I'm so happy!" she gushed. "My friends   
are finally happy, truly happy, happy in a way that I couldn't   
make them no matter how hard I tried. Raye's mellowed   
out soooo much; she's like a whole different person, and   
she just LOVES all the attention that Jay gives her, I can   
tell. Of course, she'll deny it if you ask. And Amy! Do   
you see the way she even walks anymore? Plus, I got her   
to skip class one day to watch the baseball team practice;  
uh, I mean, to watch Jay and Zach practice. Do you even KNOW   
how long I've been trying to get her to cut class? Since   
like, junior high!"   
A girl with spandex and headphones jogged past them,   
her arms and legs bare. She gave them a long look as she passed,   
and narrowed her eyes strangely. She was panting from effort,   
and in that instant Darien noticed that while he was shivering   
in what felt like forty degree weather, the girl's breath was   
not coming out in vapors and she seemed perfectly content.   
We're the only ones who can feel the cold, because it's not   
really here, it's just--   
"Serena," he barked after the girl rounded the block.   
Overhead, the streetlights clicked on for the evening. She   
looked up at him, half her face hidden behind Luna's black   
furred body. Then they heard the scream.   
"Damn!" he swore as they took off down the street.   
Rounding the corner, he almost tripped over the prone body   
of the girl jogger who had just passed them. A blast of energy   
hit the pavement no more than five feet away, kicking up   
asphalt and sending a shockwave rumbling up their legs.   
A youma, a smaller one compared to some of the twelve-foot  
monsters they had faced, zipped back and forth on the street,   
frequently jumping curbs and sending the few remaining   
passer-bys diving for cover. It emitted high squeals and   
low rumbling noises, much like…  
"It's a car!" Serena screamed. The youma turned to   
the source of the noise and revved its engine. She shoved   
her hand in her pocket and pressed the emergency call so hard   
that the button left an indent into her index finger, which   
had gone white under the pressure.  
  
**********  
  
Venus internally panicked when she arrived on the scene   
and was almost promptly flattened by the car youma. As their   
luck would have it, the youma wasn't born from a Geo Prizm or   
some other dinky car but a full-size Dodge Four by Four with   
a full tank and gigantic tires. No one had gotten a good shot   
in yet, and the property damage alone was enough to send her   
into a low-level shit fit. And the icing on the cake was   
that they were without Jadeite and Nephrite, extra muscle,   
Mercury, their intelligence, and Kunzite, their other strategist.   
Luna and Artemis hid behind a garbage dumpster, watching   
the battle take place.   
"Hey!" Jupiter screamed. "Over here, ugly!"   
"Sailor Moon, duck!" Mars shouted. Moon ducked her   
head as the intense heat scorched past her and singed the   
fine baby hairs on the back of her neck. The fireball collided   
with the shiny red sides of the youma, erupting into a splash   
pattern of flame that looked magnificent, but did little to   
slow it on its collision course with Zoicite.   
"Shit!" he screamed, sticking Mercury's mini-computer  
in his teeth and jumping straight into the air at the same   
time. The youma zoomed underneath, and he managed to grab   
onto the neck of a streetlight to keep from falling back   
into the foray. "Yo, somewuff et meef dawn!" he shrieked   
around the impediment in his teeth.  
"Just jump, you pussy," a male voice announced.   
Moon swiveled around, nearly leaping out of her skin.   
Oh no they're here, and we're short on manpower! she   
thought for a split second before a flash of white brushed   
past her.   
Zoicite sacrificed half his grip on the streetlight   
to flip off Jadeite with one white-gloved finger. "Eff you,   
ash-hoe!" He let go, falling like an ungainly cheerleader   
into Nephrite and Kunzite's interlocking arms. "What the   
hell are you guys doing here?! You're friggin' sick!"  
Nephrite wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on   
his hairline. His face was pallid. "Yeah, well, there was   
nothing on TV, so we decided to drop by. Holy crow, what is   
that!?" Tuxedo Mask and Jupiter were in the duel process of   
trying to distract the youma and fry it.   
Kunzite closed his eyes; he replayed the image of when   
they had first arrived scene by scene, and paid attention   
to the background. "Nothing's working yet."   
"Nope," Venus joined the circle. "And what the   
hell are you doing here? You're sick!"   
"You think?" Jadeite's tone was much more smart-ass   
than usual. He bent over and put his hands on his knees.   
She nearly self-combusted with anger. "So what happens   
if you're too weak to fight? You're a liability here, not an   
asset to the team! Kunzite, you should have known better!"  
He puffed out in a distinctly machismo, male way.   
"We can hold our own."   
She raged on. "Sure you can! So when you collapse   
in exhaustion, we're going to have to formulate a new bloody   
plan to dust that youma and save the entire street and   
your sorry ass at the same time!"  
Mars breezed by, making sure to smack Jadeite on the  
back of the head as she passed. "Save this for later, guys,   
we have to dust this thing!"  
"She's right," Nephrite said. The familiar white energy   
was pulsing in his hands, humming in anticipation. He lined   
up his shot at the youma's chest/windshield and relaxed his   
arms as much as he could. Remember what Darien said.   
They had spent an entire afternoon trying to fine-tune his   
attack at, get this, a shooting range. Matt Haberman had   
never even held a gun without the word "Mattel" stamped on i  
t, much less fired one, but after he squeezed the first shot   
out of the borrowed .22, he knew the meaning of the word   
"recoil." And in the process, he surprised himself by actually   
liking the feel of the weapon kicking back in his hand while   
the intense power hidden in the folds of metal leapt out and   
whuffed a hole through the paper target before he had a chance   
to hear the crack. Maybe he'd take Lita there someday.   
His hands positively hummed now, and, biting his lower   
lip, he took the first shot, holding his arm slightly slack   
to catch the recoil from the killer comets. Squeeze, don't   
pull. He let go, and the restrained comet leapt out, free,   
pushing his elbow back but allowing him to keep his balance.   
It whirred through the air and pounded against the side of   
the youma, burning its side black. It screeched in pain   
and fear.   
Good call, Darien. He was the one who noticed   
that Nephrite held his arms straight out like a sleepwalker,   
leaving his body no other choice but to absorb all the impact.   
Everyone cheered. "Nice, shot, Nephrite!" Mask whistled,   
impressed. "Told you it would work!"   
The youma swiveled around, maddened and injured, a bad   
combination for that particular breed. It roared in pain   
and gunned its engine, aiming right for Moon, Jupiter, and   
Mars, who happened to be the closest in proximity to each   
other and therefore, the best target. "Crap!" Moon screamed.   
Luna almost leapt out from her hiding place. "Sailor   
Moon! Look out!"   
"Here!" Venus sent her chain flying across the tight   
space, stretching across the street like a tightrope. Only   
Jupiter managed to catch one of the golden links like a handle   
in a subway car as it sailed over her head.   
"Grab it, guys!" she screamed, a second too late. She   
was pulled along with the chain to safety, leaving Sailors   
Moon and Mars stranded in the path of the killer youma.  
"NO!!" screamed seven other voices, two particular male   
ones the loudest. Mars had no choice but to watch helplessly   
as the youma careened towards her and her princess. She   
instinctively shoved Sailor Moon behind her and clapped her   
hands together, knowing that she couldn't ready a Burning   
Mandala in time to save them both but she had to try even   
though it was too late and if she was going down she was going   
down fighting but she prayed that Serena made it out OK…  
Suddenly, less than three feet away from them, the y  
ouma jacked up and sailed over their heads, spraying sparks   
in the air as its body twisted and tore, and landed on the   
other side with a deafening crash, sending up clouds of gray   
dust and flying metal pieces. Glass shattered in the air and   
rained down harmlessly on the energy dome encasing the two   
shell-shocked senshi.   
Kunzite let out his breath and dissolved the dome once   
he felt the shrapnel had ceased to fly and the girls were out   
of danger. His face was ash-white from the incredible effort.   
Tuxedo Mask and Jadeite shared the urge to run up to   
Kunzite and hug him. "Holy shit, buddy, great save!" Zoicite   
hooted, pounding his friend and commander on the back.   
"Way to go, Kunzite!" Jupiter screamed, lightening   
crackling off her hair in excitement. "Ready to send this   
bastard to hell, guys?"  
"Pleasure's all mine! Hey, dickface, eat Jade-bomb!"   
Jadeite released his white, smoke-like spiral before it was   
fully formed; it came out significantly smaller but better   
controlled and more punch to the ounce. And he saved a literal   
ton of energy in the process, and was proud to remain standing   
and conscious after his attack.   
The spiral swirled towards the pulverized youma, whose   
slitted mechanical eyes were round with terror. Sailor Moon   
was halfway to a high-five with Venus when a stream of black   
energy hit the white swirl at an angle and successfully pulverized   
it.   
"How…cute," a scathing, effeminate voice tittered. "The   
little boys have learned to use their little baby weapons.   
And we thought they couldn't find their dicks with both hands!"  
Jupiter's spine went rigid. They hadn't heard from the   
Dark Kingdom Generals, in, well, months. It seemed a lifetime   
ago, but the old fear returned. The fear that this battle   
would be their last.   
All four of the Dark Kingdom generals balanced on a ledge   
on the side of one of the buildings; Zoycite and Malachite   
tangled into an embrace. Tuxedo Mask snuck a quick look at   
his Generals, and sure enough, Zoicite was turning green while   
his face contorted into a mask of horror. Jadeite looked like   
he was stifling laughter.   
They leapt down, sending everyone backpedaling a few steps  
except for Venus and Kunzite. It must have been the leadership   
instinct, or blind courage, or an incredible amount of stupidity,  
but they were actually walking towards the threat. Kunzite   
had his game face on, and Venus looked mad enough to spit nails.   
"Ready for another round, are you?" she said, fists  
clenched. Nephlite snickered.  
"I've heard enough of these petty threats, Senshi. Hand   
over the crystal and spare yourself the embarrassment of thinking   
up an intelligent sounding threat, Moon. We've heard them all,   
and quite frankly your vocabulary isn't nearly as plentiful as   
the air in your head."  
For a second, Mask was sure that she was about to cry,   
but she collected up her stray tears and tried her best to   
look intimidating, an endeavor that he thought was irresistibly   
cute. Jadeite's voice cut into his daydream of some sexual   
game where he was a Dark General.   
"You'll have to get through us first, asswipe."  
"That," Malachite said, "was precisely our plan."  
No sooner were the words out of his mouth when the air   
was suddenly saturated with crackling black energy so thick   
that no one could see more than a foot in front of them. It   
shaved into their skin like grated glass, stuffed up into their   
nostrils and ear canals, tore at their scalps. Venus pressed   
her lips together to keep from screaming.   
When the dust cleared, the Senshi and generals were on   
their knees, save for Kunzite and Jupiter, who, incredibly,   
remained upright while they coughed the residue out of their   
lungs. Nephrite inhaled deeply while on his knees.  
"Hey, that tasted like Newports." He got that sentence   
out exactly two seconds before the youma, doing at least   
eighty, nearly flattened him while shaving by with inches   
to spare. It screeched its brakes, swerved around, and   
revved its engine for another go.   
Sailor Moon stopped to look at it, and her second of   
indecision was rewarded with a barrage of dark energy   
knocking her back into the pavement. "Ugh!" she screamed as   
her forehead impacted against the unforgiving asphalt.   
Tuxedo Mask was by her side in a second. She put one   
hand to the slash on her forehead, her white glove stained   
red as it absorbed the dripping blood. "I'm OK, I'm OK,"   
she insisted.   
"You FUCKER!" Jupiter screamed, raising her hands.   
"OAK EVOLUTION!"   
All hell broke loose. Dark energy slashed through   
the air, clashing with whatever light energy happened to   
block it. Jupiter got off another Oak Evolution before   
she was blasted ten feet back by a crackle of black lightening.   
"Oww," she moaned.   
Someone grabbed her hand and yanked her to her feet.   
"Come on," Zoicite said urgently, pulling her along by   
the hand. "I need your help."  
The ducked and dodged their way across the battlefield   
before joining Nephrite on the other side. "What are we doing?"   
Jupiter asked, dazed.   
Nephrite stepped away from the car he had been hiding.   
"We don't stand a chance of kicking their Negaverse asses   
with that car-mutant buzzing around. We need to even the   
playing field."   
Jupiter peeked at the car and blanched. "What are   
we…?"  
Zoicite typed something into Mercury's mini-computer,   
and the car let out a soft click as its doors unlocked.   
"After you, madam," he said with a flourish.   
Jupiter climbed in the Jaguar with the solemnity one   
feels when they enter such places as the Coliseum, or   
maybe the Louvre. "You're kidding, right? Who the hell   
leaves an eighty-thousand dollar car parked on Graduate   
Ave?"  
"That guy," Nephrite said, pointing to an unconscious   
middle-aged man wearing a three-piece suit and toting a   
briefcase and a bag of take-out. Sliding into the driver's   
seat, he made a face like he was being caressed in the most   
erogenous zones of his body. "Oh my God, never in my natural   
life did I think I would even SIT in one of these, much less   
drive it." His expression reflected pure bliss.   
"Fuck you, Neph, your parents probably have a couple   
parked in their garage," Zoicite grumbled. Nephrite made  
a face but fell silent.   
Sailor Jupiter was still frozen with shock. "So,   
we're just-TAKING--this guy's car while he's out cold, like   
that? Isn't this like, a C felony?"   
"Probably," Nephrite responded. Zoicite nodded in   
agreement.  
She crossed her arms. "Why did you bring me in here?   
I'm not taking part in any of this. You two can sharpen   
toothbrushes and share soap in jail; I'm outta here." She   
was about to pop the door of the delicious car open and  
escape when Nephrite leaned over and grabbed her wrist.  
"No! Please, um, you really have to help us with this,"   
he begged. He squeezed her wrist as hard as he could, almost  
cracking the bone underneath. She yelped, and a single crackle   
of electricity escaped and hit the ignition. The Jag   
turned over and roared to life.  
"Yes!" Zoicite roared as Jupiter's mouth dropped   
open. Nephrite immediately launched into a litany of   
apologies.   
"I can't believe you just did that!" she shouted.   
"Why didn't you just take the keys off the guy?"  
Nephrite and Zoicite exchanged looks; neither had   
even entertained that possibility. "Yeah, that would have   
worked."  
Nephrite shrugged and rolled the car out of its space.   
"Here goes."  
He navigated the Jag around the outskirts of the   
battlefield, careful not to get hit lest he damage the   
paint on the tremendously expensive vehicle. Zoicite and   
Jupiter leaned out the windows and began deflecting attacks   
that were headed their way.  
Jadeite noticed them first and whistled approvingly.   
"Nice ride! Neph, where'd you jack that from?" Next to him,   
Venus smiled dryly.   
"Way to go, guys," she whispered, and turned her   
concentration back to fighting.   
Nephrite smiled as he passed Kunzite, who was wearing   
an expression of either murderous rage or mammoth jealousy.   
He preferred to think of it as the latter. "OK, we've   
got Kunzite's attention, now what about the youma?"   
Jupiter leaned out the window and delivered a   
Sparkling Wide Pressure to the double boomerangs that   
were headed their way, and was almost decapitated by the  
monstrous heap of animated metal. She pulled her head   
away just in time. "Uh, I think it knows."  
"Donuts!" Jadeite screamed.   
"No!" Mars screamed.   
As much as he wanted to do donuts at that moment,   
Nephrite swiveled the Jag around and peeled out down the  
street, away from the battle, the youma in hot pursuit.   
The Jag accelerated from zero to sixty in about four seconds.   
Jupiter's head was practically plastered to the back of her   
seat. She could practically feel the power of its engine  
rumbling through the seat and into the flesh of her cheek,   
where it jack hammered like an atomic hummingbird.   
"I'm still in fourth!" Nephrite screamed triumphantly,   
and began laughing. Jupiter reached over with shaking hands   
and pulled her seatbelt on.   
They barreled down the street, a blur of panther-like   
black and chrome pursued by a grotesquely human-like facsimile   
of a truck. The youma's already battered engine had a hard   
time keeping up with the sleek Jag.   
"We're kicking its ass!" Zoicite laughed. Nephrite   
gritted his teeth together and slowed the car down.   
"We have to have it right on our tail," he explained.   
Suddenly, the youma lurched forward with an enormous burst   
of speed, and he was forced to downshift and regain their   
previous speed.   
"Holy crap! Didn't see that coming!" Zoicite reported   
from the backseat. The mini-computer reported that the   
youma had been fortified with a hit of dark energy, one   
with Jedite's signature all over it. "Crap, they juiced it!   
What's the plan, Neph?"  
He ran it by them, and watched as the color drained   
from both of their faces. "What?"  
Jupiter put a hand to her forehead. "You're kidding,   
right? We're going to die."   
"No we're not! It'll work, at least in theory."  
"In theory!" Zoicite was screaming, but he wasn't   
even aware of it. "In THEORY, Communism works. In THEORY,   
Neph, I could tape myself to a bottle rocket and blast off   
to the moon! This is your big plan!?"  
"Hey, hey!" he held up one hand. "It's going to   
work, OK, trust me! Just-" He reached over and pulled   
on the beige strap. "Just put your seatbelt on."  
The Jaguar roared down Graduate Ave, surprisingly   
not encountering another car or human being as it whizzed by.   
"Ready, guys?" he asked. Not waiting for an answer, he   
jerked the wheel and headed right for the side of a large   
gray building.   
"What are you…!" Jupiter screamed, grabbing onto the   
Oh-Shit handle for dear life. Nephrite checked the rearview   
to make sure the youma was still on their bumper. It was.   
"Guys?" The speedometer read eighty.   
"Yeah?" they responded in little more than whispers.   
"Pray." Less than forty feet from the side of the   
building, he jerked the wheel to the left, sending them   
all smashing against the side of the interior. The Jag   
spun around in a nauseous half-circle, its tires squealing   
like a woman being murdered, coming around 180 degrees   
until it pointed in the opposite direction. He slammed   
his foot down on the gas and peeled away, the tires smoking.   
The youma took the bait. Unable to stop at such a   
short distance, it had no choice but to slam into the   
building with an earth-shattering THUMP, cracking the gray   
concrete and crumbling onto itself like an accordion.   
Zoicite looked back in time to see it burst into flames   
as its gas tank erupted.   
He turned back and patted Nephrite's shoulder. "I   
shall never doubt you again, my friend."  
They drove back in near silence, quietly relishing   
the fact that they were still alive and not a smear on the   
wall along with the youma. They returned to near chaos.  
Mercury had undoubtedly made an appearance despite   
her near-bedridden state; the entire area was covered with   
a fog so thick that only the brightest flashes shone through.   
Gold light and flame pierced through, and Jupiter's heart   
leapt in gratitude.   
They abandoned the Jag and joined in the foray. Mars   
was injured; her Burning Mandalas were missing their mark by   
miles. Sailor Moon had reverted to her very first attack;   
she was trying to decapitate Zoycite with her tiara.   
"Shit!" Jupiter swore, flinging a ball of electricity   
to join with Moon's tiara. The combined attack picked up   
speed and caught Zoycite in the leg.   
He screamed high and loud, like a girl. Malachite   
immediately swooped down to his side and embraced him.   
"Kill them, please lover," he begged. "Do it for me!"  
Zoicite made a gagging noise. "Oh my God, please DO   
kill me!"  
"As you wish," Malachite hissed, and launched his   
boomerangs straight for Zoicite.   
"NO!" Sailor Moon screamed. Before Tuxedo Mask or  
Venus could restrain her, she bolted forward and shoved   
Zoicite out of the way before he was hit. By some fluke   
of physics and coincidence, one boomerang nicked at her   
fuku in the middle of her chest, ripping the Silver Crystal   
from the fabric. It flew through the air like a tiddly-wink,   
landing straight in the hands of…  
"Why, thank you," Malachite chuckled malevolently.   
Zoicite covered the now-detransformed Serena with his body   
so that the Dark Kingdom generals couldn't see her. Trembling,   
Serena pulled her Disguise Pen out of her pocket.   
"Disguise Pen, turn me, um, oh hell, just turn me   
into someone else!" A brief flash of light, and a brunette   
was tucked under Zoicite's arm.   
Venus felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach   
when the crystal landed in Malachite's white-gloved hand.   
No, no, without the crystal, we're done for…what do   
we do now…we don't stand a chance now…   
A flash of white broke into her thoughts. It clipped  
Malachite's hand, which started gushing with pink blood.   
His face screwed up in pain and shock, and he released   
his hold on the crystal.   
It fell.   
Kunzite watched it as he caught his boomerang, Darien's   
instruction still echoing in his mind. It says here to   
hold it vertically, not like a Frisbee. Did you just hear   
me? NOT like a Frisbee!   
To everyone present, it seemed like time had stretched   
itself out like a rubber band, expanding to a length beyond t  
he regions of what the human mind could process. They   
could hardly move through the viscous liquid that seemed   
to surround them and pin their limbs to the side of their   
body. Even the Dark Kingdom generals seemed to freeze in   
shock, and could only watch as the coveted crystal descended   
through the air, turning over and over to display its   
brilliance.   
No one could move.   
Except Kunzite.   
He bolted forward, knocking whoever stood in his   
way aside. Kevin Belles had been recovering fumbles since   
the age of eight, and there was no way he was letting this   
one get by him. The vision in front of him blurred and   
another one replaced it: green turf and dark green and white   
Washington State jerseys, faceless heads buried under helmets.   
The crystal was a regulation brown pigskin skipping across   
the hard turf, across the white chalk yard lines, taunting   
him.  
Nephlyte swooped down from his perch; number fifty-four   
saw only Washington State green. He threw him a shoulder,   
knocking him down.   
"C'mon, Kev," Jadeite whispered to himself.   
Time seemed impossibly still those last few steps; as   
he reached down to recover an object much smaller than   
what he was used to. His fingers closed around the crystal,   
and he gripped it so tightly that it would have cracked if   
it were made of any other material. Serena's heart leapt   
in her throat, and she gave a shout of pure victory two seconds   
before everything exploded into white.  
  
************  
  
"This is NOT Graduate Ave!" Jadeite announced, rubbing   
the toe of his boot into the gray gravel. Nephrite made a   
face at him.  
"Death grip on the obvious, Jeddy," Nephrite muttered,   
flipping a loose rock at his friend's backside. He shook   
his head and walked away, muttering to himself, not realizing   
that Jadeite had flipped him off behind his back.  
"OK," Sailor Moon said. Her crystal was back, securely   
fastened to her chest. "Where are we?"  
It hit Venus all at once, and she straightened her   
spine like she was standing at attention. "Artemis?"  
"Yeah?" he asked from Mars's arms.   
"This is the Moon."  
Luna nodded. "Yes, Venus, it is."  
She turned in a slow circle, taking in the horrible   
emptiness that whistled through the last few remaining towers   
and columns, none of which stood taller than ten feet, even   
though the original architecture probably called for much   
taller structures. It was like walking through Hiroshima   
after the bomb was dropped. The ground was covered with   
rubble from the collapsed architecture, most of it what   
seemed to be white marble that glowed eerily in the dim   
light. It was covered with layers of dust, like a crypt  
that had never been disturbed. She knelt down and traced   
one finger down the side of a felled column, exposing   
the smooth marble underneath. The finger of her glove   
was stained black.   
"Uh, I hate to sound like a total moron,"   
Jadeite started. "But if we're on the moon, why can   
we breathe? According to the laws of Warner Brothers   
cartoons, our eyes should be popping out of our heads   
right now."   
An exhausted Mercury, sitting next to Zoicite on   
a slab of stone, wearily punched into her computer.   
"According to my readings, the atmosphere is about   
seventy percent nitrogen, twenty percent oxygen, two   
percent carbon dioxide, one percent hydrogen, one percent…"  
Jupiter cut her off. "So it's just like the   
Earth's?"  
"Correct."   
"Because!" Sailor Moon shouted. They all looked  
at her. "Because my mom designed it that way." She   
pointed to the black sky above, peppered with glittery   
stars. "She created an atmosphere and an ozone for   
the moon so we could breathe. It stops about two miles   
above us, like a glass ceiling!" She turned, excited.   
"She never properly figured out how to make wind, since   
there's no oceans on the moon…"  
"Likewise, no jetstreams," Mercury interjected.  
"And sometimes there would be tornadoes…"  
"And they were always inverted!" Mars finished.   
"They stuck to the bottom of the ozone layer and would   
hang down! I remember watching them!"  
"Hey," Nephrite started. "Hey!"  
"What?" Tuxedo Mask asked idly, devoting most of   
his attention to the crumbled ruins in front of him,   
all the while remembering. There's the Praying Shrine,   
or what's left of it…only the Queen could go there. And   
I'm standing right in the middle of the Reflecting Pond!   
Nephrite ran over about a hundred feet, climbing   
over slabs of crumpled marble to get to his desired   
destination. "There used to be a tree here, a big one.   
It was all twisted and gnarly because…"  
"Vegetation didn't do so well," Jupiter explained.   
"We only had eight hours of daylight."  
"Yeah!" I remember this. It's all coming back   
now.   
"It was all magic," Moon sighed, kneeling down and   
gathering a handful of gravel. "Everything was kept alive   
with magic. There was so much of it; it was so commonplace   
that we never thought we'd run out. And we wouldn't have."  
Jadeite, who had been staring at the remains of what   
could have been a very high tower, suddenly dropped to his   
knees as memories assaulted him.   
White tower very high smooth marble a single   
WHITE rope falling down a black-haired girl staring up   
from the balcony above.   
"Rei," he said.  
"What?"  
"REI THERE USED TO BE A TOWER HERE THAT I WOULD   
CLIMB WHEN I WOULD COME TO SEE YOU!!!"  
He screamed loud enough to raise Civil War casualties,   
but his extreme volume had the benefit of opening mental   
vaults. Sailor Moon smiled as the weight hit all of her   
friends in turn.   
"We knew each other," Nephrite said, not to the   
general populace, but only to Jupiter. He ran back to   
his previous spot. "That tree that used to be here…it   
used to be our tree! It was in your garden!"  
Tears swam in her eyes. "I remember," she choked,   
brushing the water out of her face. "I remember you."  
"Holy shit," Zoicite mumbled his seemingly phrase   
of the day. He touched Mercury's hair as she looked down  
and blushed. "Holy shit. Ami."  
Venus stared at Kunzite, her body shaking despite   
all of her intentions to stop it. She remembered it all:   
the first time she saw him, how she almost arrested him,   
how he would take her to Earth. It was a lifetime ago,   
and yet, it was here, and now.   
"Oh Goddess," she whispered, falling into his arms.   
He stroked her hair as her tears fell onto his uniform   
and dotted it darker gray. "I found you again."  
Tuxedo Mask smiled as his Generals embraced her   
Senshi, their happiness radiating like an A-bomb. Sailor   
Moon sidled over to him and slipped her hand in his.   
"They're together again, Endy. Just like you and me."   
Jadeite grabbed Mars's hand and pulled her over.   
"Here's where your suite was." He pointed upwards. "You   
used to have a tower and a balcony up there, and I couldn't   
enter from the inside, so I would have to scale it."   
She laughed, a sound of pure glee. "You took your   
life in your hands to do that, buddy. Minako wouldn't let   
me borrow her chain, so I stole that heavy rope that used   
to tie back the curtains in the hallways."  
"And it was slippery! You don't even know how many   
times I almost fell!" He slipped one hand around her waist.   
"You were worth it, though."   
"Ah," she said when he kissed her head. "You were   
expendable."  
Shock waves hit his body with tidal-wave force.   
He sputtered for a few seconds, too excited to give birth   
to the words that sat on the tip of his tongue. Finally:   
"You're right!"   
Everyone gave him a curious look. "Well, Jadeite,  
everyone is special in their own way," Nephrite started,   
inadvertently quoting Mr. Rogers.   
"No you don't understand!" Jadeite shouted. He   
looked directly at Tuxedo Mask and hand his hands over   
his face. Blue deepened; blond turned to black. "I was   
Endymion's body double, don't you guys remember? It was   
the whole reason I was brought to the castle, because I   
could change my appearance! I would stand in for Endymion   
in public so that if there were an assassination attempt,   
they would kill me and not him! That's why I could never   
let my hair grow like you guys; I couldn't change hair   
length!" He laughed with Endymion's face on. "I was   
extremely expendable."  
"Get off it; we were all expendable," Kunzite said.   
"You just more so than us."  
"Thanks buddy. I'll remember that the next time   
you call me from jail."  
Nephrite was running around like a maniac. "We're   
standing right on the east gate, aren't we? This is where   
we used to enter, you guys! Don't you remember?"  
"Yeah!" Zoicite shouted. "Except for-Kunzite you   
dumbass! You used to come in through the north gate! The   
most heavily guarded one!"  
He bristled. "That's the only one I knew! You   
four never told me about any others!"  
Tuxedo Mask spoke before Jadeite had a chance to   
open his mouth. "Well if you weren't such a tight-ass   
and would sneak out with us once in a while, then you'd   
know about the other ones." Nephrite and Zoicite snorted   
with laughter. "What? It's the truth!" he protested when   
Kunzite threw him an "I don't care if you're my boss, I   
might still beat you to a bloody pulp" look.   
Mercury sent a stream of water over a five-foot high   
block of marble, washing away eons of dust. "Look," she   
said, pointing to two stumps resting on top. They were   
sandaled feet, carved out of marble and so lifelike that   
they could make out creases in the toes. They were broken   
unevenly above the ankle; obviously at one point, they had   
been part of a complete statue. "Mars, this was you. Do   
you remember?"  
The fire Senshi's eyes swam in the past. "Yes,   
yes I do. This was my part of the castle, and the statue   
of me was planted right outside of the entrance. It's   
the first thing you saw as you approached the east gate."  
"We each had one," Jupiter continued. "Mine was   
at the west gate, Mercury's was at the south, and Venus's   
was at the north. I was…" She stopped for a minute and   
thought. "The statue of me was holding thunder bolts.   
I remember it now."  
Venus blushed. "Mine was nude."   
"Yeah I remember that," Zoicite sniggered. She   
elbowed him.   
"So what? Mine was too." Mars dusted off her hands.   
"We all had statues and paintings and shit." She suddenly   
grinned. "And when they got to Earth, you dorks would   
worship them. Gods, if I knew then what I know now…"  
Venus nudged crumbled marble with her foot. "This   
used to be your fountain, Mars. Your Prayer fountain."  
After the initial celebration, they fell silent for a   
while as they explored more of what used to be a glorious   
kingdom. "Oh God," Zoicite said solemnly at one point.   
"This is like the Apocalypse. No, I'm sorry, it WAS an   
Apocalypse. No one could survive this."  
"We didn't," Venus said simply. Mars looked at her,   
concerned. Venus returned the glance.  
"I'm serious, we didn't. Everyone died out here,   
including the Princess."  
Sailor Moon put a hand on her friend's shoulder.   
"Oh, Venus, are you still beating yourself up because   
of that? You couldn't do anything to stop it."  
"She's right, Venus," Artemis said. "Metallia was   
too powerful for us. There was nothing we could have   
done to stop her."  
"How do we know that?" she snapped, irritated.   
"I barely remember what happened that night, so what am   
I going to do different this time? I failed to protect   
Serenity once, and I don't even know where I went wrong!"  
Someone touched the back of her head, and she swiveled  
around to face Kunzite. "I failed to protect Endymion,   
Venus. You're not alone in this."  
She rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about?   
You couldn't do anything about it, you were dead."  
You were dead. Her words echoed in the stifling   
silence, hitting everyone in turn and opening the floodgates   
that held back an ocean of memories. Venus clapped one   
hand over her mouth after she realized what she had let   
slip, a seemingly casual explanation that carried with   
it a mountain of information. Jaws dropped as realization   
drilled through layers of dormant memories.   
"Oh my GOD!" Zoicite was the first to speak. "We   
WERE dead! We were dead before any of this Apocalypse shit   
went down! We didn't even live to see it!"  
"You're right," Tuxedo Mask said. "Without you four,   
we didn't even have a fighting chance."  
"We never had a fighting chance," Kunzite said quietly,   
one hand tracing the invisible scar on his neck that existed   
only in his mind.   
"If it wasn't for me, we would have," Zoicite said   
miserably, sitting down suddenly and hard on an uneven section   
of marble. Before anyone could persuade him otherwise, he   
burst out. "And don't even tell me it wasn't my fault, OK?   
I know it was. None of you had the knowledge or the magic of   
that caliber! It was my friggin' idea from the get-go, and it   
just ended up biting me in the ass, hard. It's my fault we   
died and those mutants exist. In fact, it's probably my own   
stupid fault the whole moon kingdom to fell in the first   
place."  
"Don't say that!" Sailor Moon shrieked. "It's not your   
fault, none of it is! I was the one who gave you the idea,   
remember?" Tears streamed down her face, and she hurriedly   
brushed them away. "I found that book in the Ami's library,   
and I thought it was a good idea, so I left it on Earth when   
I came to visit Endymion! I left it where I knew you'd find   
it, Zoicite!" She was sobbing now. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry!   
I never thought what would happen! I just wanted you all to   
be together for Carnival! I'm so stupid; I'm so sorry everyone!   
I never meant for any of this to happen! I'm so sorry, Mother!   
It's all my fault the Moon Kingdom fell!"  
Tuxedo Mask was comforting her in a second, but was joined   
this time by eight people and two cats who offered their   
consolations.  
"Don't say that, Sailor Moon!" Venus said gruffly. "It's   
not your fault and you know it!"  
"Listen, we would have found out a way even if you   
didn't drop the hint! Zoicite had tons of books; we would   
have found it sooner or later!" Jadeite blubbered.   
"We never tried to stop him! We're guilty by association!"   
Kunzite provided the most reasonable explanation. "If   
it wasn't us, then it would have been someone else. Metallia   
was an equal opportunity destroyer."  
"You think?" Sailor Moon sniffed, wiping her nose on   
Tuxedo's cape.  
"I know. Beryl told us so before she executed us."  
She threw her arms around him and sobbed in his chest   
for a while. "Hey, stop crying. I'll buy you ice cream   
when we get home."  
That perked her up. "You will?"  
Tuxedo Mask leaned in and whispered, "You don't know what   
you're getting yourself into." Sailor Moon merely bounced   
away with images of brownie sundaes in her head.   
They traveled on; passing what was left of Mercury's   
statue positioned at the south gate, and began penetrating   
into the center of the ruined castle. "What's that?" Sailor   
Jupiter asked, pointing to an object in the distance.   
Venus squinted.   
"I don't know. Let's find out."  
"That" turned out to be the very shiny handle of a   
sword, buried up to the hilt in a slab of stone, ala "The   
Sword in the Stone." Tuxedo Mask grabbed the handle and   
gave a tug.   
"Yeah, that's stuck," he said. "Wonder how the hell   
it got in there."  
"The Queen put it in there," Luna explained. "It  
belongs to you, Senshi. For you to protect your Princess."   
"Wonder what it's made from," Zoicite said, rubbing   
his finger down the exposed part of the blade. "It doesn't   
look like an ordinary alloy. Sailor Mercury?"  
She consulted her computer. "It's nothing of the   
Earth's, and it seems to be infused with a considerable   
amount of magic. It doesn't say how to get it out, though."   
She reached over and gave a small tug. "Nope. Not happening."  
"So it's made of stone?" Jadeite repeated, elbowing   
a snickering Nephrite. "Hmm, Kunzite, you're the rock   
expert, why don't you tell us what it's made of?"  
"Shut up." Sailor Moon was puzzled.   
"Why would Kunzite know?" Meanwhile, the subject   
was turning various shades of crimson.   
"I needed science credits!" He burst out a second  
before Nephrite did.  
"Because he took Geosci one last semester!"  
Venus looked at her boyfriend in a whole new   
light. "You took Rocks for Jocks?" she asked incredulously.   
He made a face at the three hysterical generals,   
four if you counted Tuxedo snorting behind his cape.   
"I needed science credits," he feebly offered again.  
"But--?"  
"All right!"  
Mars grabbed the handle and tugged on it. "Holy-ok   
I'm not King Arthur. Next!"  
"What's that written on the handle?" Zoicite said,   
leaning over. "It's not English, that's for sure. In fact,   
it doesn't look like any modern language."  
Artemis jumped on the stone and stuck his face down,   
as did Jadeite and Nephrite. "I think I can make out a   
'C,'" Nephrite reported.   
"OK, it's says, 'C,' three wavy lines, uh, isosceles   
triangle, swirly thing…"  
Venus bent down next to Artemis. "It says how to   
use the full power of the crystal."   
"You can read 'C three wavy lines isosceles triangle   
swirly thing'?" Jadeite said.   
"It's the ancient moon language," Luna explained.   
"Venus, why don't you give it a try?"  
She wrapped one hand around the handle of the sword   
and pulled. Electricity shot down her arm as the sword   
eased its way out of the stone base inch by inch, all the   
way to the point. As soon as the tip of the sword left   
its stone house, it flashed white, blinding white light   
that shocked their optic nerves but at the same time, didn't   
even hurt…  
  
************  
  
They were delivered to the spot on Graduate Ave.   
where they had previously stood, everything the same as   
they left it save for the absence of Negaverse Generals.   
The victims of the youma attack still lay unconscious on   
the street, but almost every storefront was trashed.   
"Looks like they had a little fun before they left,"   
Artemis said, staring into the shattered glass window of  
Lola's. "I wonder why they'd bother to ruin everything.   
They're only after the crystal."   
"Are they?" Venus asked, staring at the sword in her   
hands. A phrase was seeping into her unconscious. Wink.   
Wink Chain Sword.   
Mars's face was radish-red with rage. "Why would they   
do all this? I mean, Hello? We're not here anymore to beat   
on? Why trash the entire neighborhood?"   
"I don't know, maybe they wanted to grab some food   
and Gap shirts before they went back to the Negaverse." Jadeite   
pulled off his gloves and detransformed into a yawning Jay.   
"I've got to get to bed, I've got a game tomorrow."  
"Think you'll play? Zoicite said, removing his gloves.   
"I'll try. I just have to get some rest."   
"I don't think that's happening," Darien said as they   
rounded the corner. People were streaming into 22 Boris St.   
like ants to a picnic. Pounding music blared out of the   
open windows, and two guys carried a keg up the fire escape.  
"No way!" Zach bitched. "Dammit! It's Musto and those   
assholes in 5C. No one better be in our place."  
"You can stay with me tonight," Amy offered. Serena   
giggled as she watched her friend's ears turn red.   
"Yeah, why don't you just stay at my place?" Raye said   
to Jay. "Just give me a few minutes. After tonight, I'm   
really going to need a beer."  
  
***********  
  
"Oh my God!" Lita shrieked. "Where did she get that?"   
"In L.A.," Raye replied calmly, killing the rest of   
her cup. "I told her I get to borrow it next time."  
"It" was Mina's extremely revealing crocheted halter-top,   
paired with dark jeans so low that the straps of her thong   
poked out. She worked the whole thing pretty well as she danced   
with T, a wide receiver, and Kevin would have been very opposed   
to the whole thing if he wasn't busy pounding a pitcher with   
two defensive linemen in the kitchen. "Go! Go! Go!" the room  
chanted.   
"Kevin's not going to be walking in a straight line,"   
Matt said as he brought a pitcher over to the couch. "That's   
the second pitcher he slammed." Two girls squeezed past him.   
"Wow. It's like a Delta Zeta invasion in here."   
"Hey! Jackie! Melissa!" Raye shouted over the deafening  
bass. "Be right back, guys, I have to talk to my sisters!"  
Lita caught Matt staring at Raye and her two sisters   
talking in a corner. "Matt?" He didn't respond. "Hey MATT!"  
"Huh?" he grunted, squinting and staring at them with   
the same intensity.   
It dawned on her. "Are you trying to see through   
their CLOTHES?" Lita screamed, wacking him on the side   
of the head.   
"Huh? NO!" he said a little to quickly. When she   
didn't relent, he muttered, "Well, it wasn't working anyway,"   
and tried his best to dodge the subsequent blows.   
"See you guys, later," Raye waved to Darien and Serena   
as she and Amy headed out the door. "Tell Jay to meet me   
downstairs at 11:30."  
"Gotcha," Serena waved. "Bye you guys!"  
Kevin had somehow stumbled out of the kitchen and   
had retrieved Mina, and was now grinding against her as   
they tongue-wrestled. Serena noted that Mina was pretty   
drunk, too.   
"I wish I had her clothes," she sighed.   
  
***********  
  
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Raye yawned and signed   
the sheet in front of the stern-faced R.A.   
"I wasn't here long," Jay replied, staring at Raye's   
behind with such intensity it was a miracle he didn't burn a   
hole through her gray dorm pants. They sat extremely low on  
her hips, and covered just enough ass to make him think.   
Her white t-shirt was cropped, revealing her flat stomach,   
which didn't help matters. You have a game tomorrow.   
Think baseball. Think of unattractive baseball players.   
He followed her into the elevator, his eyes glued to   
the four or five inches of revealed skin that proved more   
erotic than if she was walking around topless. Focus,   
Melman, focus. Randy Johnson. Scott Brosius. Barry Bonds.   
The entire Mets bullpen. All of the Pirates. Oh God this   
is not working.   
Raye practically threw herself on her bed. "Oh my   
God what a night," she muttered, curling up with her bear.   
"What's wrong?" she asked after seeing his face.   
"Joe Torre!" he squeaked. "I'm trying to think   
about baseball."  
"Oh that's right." No sex before a game.   
It affects his performance. "I'll try to be very   
Major League."  
"Speaking of baseball," he said hurriedly, and   
flipped on the TV. "Ah, 'Baseball Tonight.' There's   
nothing erotic about this." He settled onto Mina's bed.   
"Goddamn, if the O's drop one more to the friggin' Twins   
I'm never going to shut Kevin up."   
They lay in silence for a while until Raye was   
half-insane from hearing baseball stats. Jay glanced over   
at her, curled on her bed cuddling her white teddy bear.   
His new memories drowned out the Cubs-Reds highlights: Rei   
bathed in white moonlight, the smell of her hair, the feel   
of her warm skin and she embraced him when he reached the   
top of the tower…  
And at that moment, while he was drinking in her form   
like a dry sponge sucking up a beer spill, she chose to scratch   
her stomach, pulling her shirt up another few inches.   
"Fuck this," he said, leaping up from Mina's bed and   
throwing himself on Raye so hard the headboard slammed against   
the cinderblock wall.  
"Whoa! Jay!" Raye's resolve was crumbling with every   
kiss he planted on her neck. He yanked her shirt up. "But,   
you have a game tomorrow! Remember?"  
He threw off his own shirt. "I love you Raye. I've   
loved you then and I love you now. And now that I've finally   
found you, fuck my game." He pressed his lips to hers.   
She kissed him back, and let his mouth travel down to   
her chest. "I love you too. Oh God, I love you." She pressed   
her hands against his back. "Are you sure? They don't have   
another catcher…" She felt his hands on her thighs and she   
moaned. "You're right. Fuck your game."  
  
************  
  
"Amy? What's wrong?"  
"Huh?" Amy said, swallowing the rest of her Bailey's   
and milk. God, when did I become such an alcoholic? I'm   
always drinking something anymore!   
"You're awfully quiet." Zach pulled his glasses off and   
chucked them on her bedside table, where they skidded across   
and landed on the floor. Since his first pair of thick, brown   
plastic Nickelodeon brand at age four, Zach had always been   
extremely careless with his glasses. Two had been crunched under   
Matt's feet his first year when they dormed together, and another   
had been lost right before Christmas break. Matt had graciously   
replaced the pairs he damaged; very graciously, since the frames   
he bought for Zach ran a good two or three hundred dollars a   
piece. He had taken to wearing contacts in high school, yet   
still, there were mornings (or afternoons) that he would   
completely forget to insert them and wouldn't notice until   
he tried to view something at a long distance (read: two feet   
from his nose) and couldn't. The concept of wearing corrective   
lenses had never taken off with him, and he suspected that   
Zoicite had something to do with it. The inner general, when   
poking his head out occasionally, would simply forget that   
the body that he had been born into was equipped with   
spectacularly poor 20/80 vision.   
Amy picked them up and put them back on the nightstand.   
"You're going to step on these."   
"So what? I'll just tell Matt that he did and he'll   
buy me a new pair."  
She smiled, and Zach caught himself staring at the   
way her light freckles would move into the creases of her   
smile. "Your nose is cute."  
"What? I mean, thank you." She put one hand to her   
face. "My nose? It's kinda small."   
"It's cute," he repeated. She smiled again, her   
pale skin the perfect match to her navy eyes and hair, and   
the reason that he found Amy so attractive hit him right   
there. Raye was exotic, mysterious, the kind of girl you   
would be afraid to approach. Lita, with her bright smile   
and brown curls, was so refreshingly girl-next-door she   
could be in Noxema ads. Mina was so stunning she temporarily   
knocked your breath away. But Amy, she was so beautiful, the   
way her eyes would glitter under her dark eyelashes, which,   
by the way, were about as long as his arm. Her face was so   
flawless it could be made of porcelain. Freckled porcelain.   
She had such a sad, sweet smile, the smile of someone whose   
life still hurt, from what he didn't know, but he declared   
the mission anyway, the mission to change Amy's smile from   
a bud to a bloom.   
"Ami," he said, touching her face. She shuddered at   
the way he said her name, her real name. It was like hearing   
a nickname anymore.   
"Yes?" Her voice trembled; she knew it but couldn't   
stop it.   
He rubbed her cheek. "Something's wrong; I can tell.   
What is it?"  
She wanted to tell him, but the stifling cloak of   
shyness was thrown over her head, blocking her vision and   
stifling her voice. She could picture the scene again in   
her mind, down to the last detail, even the way Mina sawed   
at her stringy Salisbury steak like she was hacking down a   
pine tree with a penknife. Erin and Hollie had joined them   
that day, and Erin was trying to convince Lita to join the   
basketball team. Erin herself was a guard. Lita was saying   
something, whatever it didn't matter, but she heard Crazy   
Kristen's voice above the clinking of the silverware.   
"Check out Supermodel and her friends, Gigantor   
and The Big V!"   
Typhoon Lagoon and two other equally Revlon-spackled   
friends had erupted into giggles like microphone feedback.   
"Kristen, you're so bad!"   
"I don't care, I just can't believe she landed Zach   
Straub. I don't know why he even stays with her; you know   
she's not putting out. He should give me a call; I'd fuck  
him anytime."   
Hollie and Mina wisely held Lita firm to her seat,   
but Amy wasn't that quick or effective in restraining the  
powerfully built Erin. Erin jumped to her feet. "Hey   
you fat bitch, shut your friggin' mouth before I shut it   
for you! Straub wouldn't touch your cellulite-filled,   
syphilis-infested, skanky ho ass if Regis Philbin paid   
him a million dollars!   
Then Lita was up, shouting, until the Seventh Floor   
Bitches and their cohorts decided to vacate the premises   
lest their diet sodas and fettuccini alfredo end up on their   
Sears stretch pants. Amy had been grateful for her friends',   
well, rather vehement support, but the hateful words were   
still burned into her brain. Gossip was gossip, but sometimes,   
it had a grain of truth.   
Zach was rubbing her shoulders now. "You don't have   
to tell me if you don't want to, but, you know, I might   
be able to help." He stopped and thought for a minute.   
"Unless it's girl stuff. I can't help with that, and   
furthermore, I don't think I want to know."  
She smiled a little, but it was still sad. "Well,   
it's kind, it's sort of, it…it's somewhat about you."  
"Me?" Cool. I like to talk about me.   
Amy took a deep breath and turned to look into   
his eyes. They were so deep, so green; it was like gazing   
into an emerald at Tiffany's. He's so beautiful. Her   
mind cross-referenced him and Zoycite, and the differences   
that came through were so obvious it was hard for her to   
believe that she had once mistaken him for a Dark Kingdom   
general. Zach was powerfully built, his right pitching   
arm bigger than his left. His face and jawline was more   
angular than his evil counterpart's; overall he was much   
more masculine. She watched as he picked up one of her   
trembling hands and kissed it.   
"Do you think I'm prude?" she burst out, courage   
sweeping the words out of her mouth and then dissipating   
to nothing once they were gone.   
Zach cocked his head. "No! Of course not! Did I   
make you think that?"  
"Um, no." She swallowed nervously. I can't  
believe I said that! Oh God, if the girls could see   
this now! "Ami Mizuno talks about sex!" "I-I   
just…that is, someone said-"  
"Was it Crazy Kristen?"   
"Yes. How did-"  
"Because she's a bitch and she'd say something   
like that because she's jealous that no one will touch   
her syphilitic ass. Don't listen to anything she says,  
since none of it's true."  
She giggled. "That's funny; Erin said the exact   
same thing."  
"That's because she's right. Amy?" He moved his   
face closer. "Is it bothering you?"  
The cinderblock wall melted away, replaced with   
white marble covered with forget-me-not blue drapes.   
Amy spoke the same words to Zach that Mercury had to   
Zoicite, and the fringes of time pulled together, melding   
together a millennium. Zoicite was Zach, and vice versa,   
and she had loved both of them.   
"It's just that, you never try to touch me, like,"   
her mind reeled for a suitable example. "Like how   
everyone else does." Ami, that was about as vague   
as you could get it. No wonder one of your elements   
is fog.   
He touched her face again. "I just thought, well,   
I thought you wanted to take it slow. I don't want to   
rush you into anything."  
"I-" she said, then stopped. "I do. I just thought   
you didn't want to."   
He laughed tenderly. "I do. All the time, in fact,   
you'd be sick if you knew the true amount." He pecked her   
on the lips. "To quote the great philosopher Oprah, I   
think we need to communicate."   
She smiled then, and it was the one he was looking   
for: Full, bright, and completely blissful. "That's what   
I was looking for," he said, and moved into kiss her.  
She kissed him back, her mind swooning, the last   
traces of nervousness brushed away like old spiderwebs.   
This was Zoicite with her, the same man she loved a thousand   
years ago; the only man she ever loved. She was completely   
at ease.  
"I love you," he whispered, kissing her behind her   
ears. Tears spilled over her tears at his declaration.   
"Hey, hey, don't cry," he said, rubbing the moisture   
away with his palm in a totally male, oblivious way.   
"What's wrong, Ames? Why are you crying?"  
She sniffed and brushed the tears away, and tried   
to smile. An ache had developed in her chest, a strange   
balance of pain and elation. Tentatively, she reached out   
and touched his hand. It felt the same as it always had.   
"I'm not alone anymore," she whispered, pressing her   
open lips against his. They kissed under the dim yellow   
glow of her bedside lamp, breathing in synchronization.   
When they parted, she whispered, "Can I touch you?"  
"Sure. You can touch me anywhere you…ah!" Of all the   
places on the human body, Zach had no idea that his sweet,   
shy girlfriend would choose to touch him THERE.  
She wrapped her arms around his neck and lay down,   
pulling him on top of her. "I'm not alone anymore," she   
repeated.  
He reached up and unbuttoned the first button of her   
shirt. She sucked in her breath at the feel of his hands   
and his next words.   
"You never will be again."  
  
***********  
  
WHUFF!   
Lita toppled off the bed when the pillow impacted against  
the side of her head and she lost her balance. She landed   
on one of Jay's sandals, the metal buckle digging into her   
ass. "OW! My ass! That was such a cheap shot!"   
Matt merely laughed and whomped her again with the   
pillow. "Yeah, and hitting me in the balls wasn't?" He   
jumped off the bed and landed on top of her, pinning her   
to the floor. "HA! Submit! OOF!" Lita had used her   
longer than average arms to maneuver a direct hit to   
his head.   
"Yeah, how's that feel?" No sooner were the words   
out of her mouth than Matt had her pinned again. "Hey!   
Let me up!"   
"Nope." They tussled back and forth; Lita's strength   
almost matching Matt's, and he used the temporary advantage   
as an opportunity to kiss her, hard. "Time out!" Thus,   
their game of Coed Naked pillow fighting was, how shall   
we say? Interrupted for a few moments. Delay of game.   
"Oh my God I love you so much," he panted, wiping   
perspiration from his hairline, as they lay in a tangle  
of sweaty limbs on the bedroom floor. She wiggled out   
from underneath him and pushed her tangled curls out   
of her face.  
"Why? Because I screw you all the time?" She stood   
and climbed onto the bed and pulled the sheet up to her   
chin to block the sudden feeling of exposure, physical   
and emotional. He promptly slid in next to her.   
"No." He began kissing her neck, something she   
found simply irresistible. "I love you because I can   
pillow-fight with you naked and not care. I love the   
way you can look at me across the room and forget that  
anyone else is there. I love how you take care of   
everyone." He squeezed her body to him. "I love the   
way that one piece of hair always sticks up when you   
pull it back. I love the way you arm-wrestle me."  
"I should have won," she mumbled. Jay and   
Darien making faces behind his head definitely counts   
as outside interference.   
His low laughter tickled her ear and sent chills   
down her spine. "I love the way you look and smell and   
walk and shoot a trey, everything. I love YOU, the   
complete package."  
She closed her eyes. " No one's ever said anything like   
that to me." A stray tear leaked out. "I love you too,"   
she said to the wall.  
"Excuse me, what? I couldn't hear you."  
You can so, you liar. She turned and looked   
into his eyes, warm and brown and inviting. "I. Love.   
You," she enunciated, and kissed the satisfied smile on   
his face.   
They lay there for a while, their faces inches   
apart, and listened to the continuing roar of the party   
going on outside of their locked door. Something thumped   
heavily against a distant wall. All of a sudden, Matt   
propped his head up with his arm. "So, what do you love   
about me?"   
"Excuse me?" She started giggling.   
"Come on! I just told you everything I love about   
you. What do you love about me? My incredible physique?"  
She traced one hand down his six-pack. You're   
right about that, buddy; you DO have an incredible   
physique. "Yeah, that too," she started.   
"And?" he said like an overeager child on Christmas   
morning.   
She traced circles on his tricep. "I don't know;   
I just love you. Your eyes, your hair…"  
"Yeah I know; you dig my bod. What else? Mental   
things."  
Lita smacked his arm. "You know. Your personality…"  
"That's so generic. Think specific."  
"All right!" Jeez, this is like being interrogated   
by the police! "I love the way you can be serious   
and lighthearted at the same time. I love the way   
you know every single line to all the 'Rocky' movies. I   
love you because you're a good friend. I love it when   
you sit there with me when I'm bummed out and don't say   
anything because you don't have to. I love how generous   
you are with your money and your feelings."  
"I KNEW the money was going to fit in somewhere!   
You're so typically female."  
She punched him in the gut. "And most of all," she  
said, drawing her face closer to his. "I love the way I   
now compare my ex-boyfriend to YOU, and not the other way   
around."  
They kissed, softly at first, and then fast and   
hard and furious, until they were both ready for another   
round. Matt broke away, gasping for air.   
"You know what? If I ever run into this venerated   
ex-boyfriend, I'm going to thank him."  
She was puzzled. "Thank him?"  
He pulled her on top of him. "Yeah, for letting   
you go so I could have you."  
  
* **********  
  
There's slow honeymoon sex, there's playful sex,   
there's loving sex… Mina gasped as Kevin grabbed her   
behind and squeezed, all the while his tongue practically   
down her throat. He tasted like beer, and Jack. And   
then, there's drunk sex.   
She hadn't exactly been stone cold sober herself,   
that is, until Matt cured her. She had been hanging over   
the toilet, Lita holding her hair back, wracked in agonizing   
nausea but unable to vomit, saliva dripping from her lips.   
Matt had strolled in.   
"You need to puke?" he asked. She had weakly nodded.   
"Open your mouth."   
Stupidly, she had obeyed, and the next thing she knew,   
Matt's finger was touching that punching-bag thing in the   
front of her throat, and she gagged and threw up. "Feel   
better?"  
"Yes," she said truthfully. The queasiness was gone,   
like magic.   
He stood up and smiled. "Crude, yet effective."  
Kevin was completely polluted. Granted, he was close   
to a foot taller than her and outweighed her by a deuce, but   
the sheer amount of alcohol that he had thrown back was   
staggering, even by football player standards. She had   
exited the bathroom feeling a whole hell of a lot better,   
albeit a little disoriented from the alcoholic haze covering   
her mind, when suddenly he had grabbed her and pinned her   
against the wall and attacked her with his lips. Somehow,   
between kissing and groping and everything that comes in   
between, they had made their way down the hall and into the   
bedroom, where they presently continued their hallway seduction.  
"Kevin?" she whispered, her eyes half-closed. The   
smell of alcohol was leaking out of his pores.   
"Huh?" He pulled her shirt over her head, his movements   
slow and fumbling. She doubted she could carry on a conversation   
with him, since he currently seemed unable to articulate more   
than two syllables at a time.   
"I love you, hon." He crashed heavily to his knees with   
such force Mina was surprised he didn't break right through   
the floor. She sighed as he unbuttoned her jeans.   
"Love you too," he mumbled, even though it sounded like,   
"Luh ya too." Close enough.   
"God you're beautiful," he continued (slurred). If there   
was one thing in the world that Mina loved more than banana   
ice cream and volleyball, it was compliments, and her ears   
perked up like a rabbit's.  
"Really?"   
"Yeah." He slid his fingers under the straps of her   
thong. "You are so fucking gorgeous. You're like an angel."  
"Go on," she said, a grin spreading on her face.   
He looked up at her face, her eyes blue and sparkling,   
her perfect teeth, her blond hair hanging in soft waves around  
her face. "Mina, I want to say something really deep and   
profound and original so that you feel really great and   
I'll look really awesome, but I can't think of anything right   
now. I just want you really, really bad." His eyes were   
completely glazed over.  
She giggled. "Well, it wasn't exactly poetry, but   
thank you." She kissed the top of his head. "I love you   
so much, and I know it's the alcohol talking. You're never   
this straightforward." He stood up and lifted her off   
the floor. "Standing? OK, I guess, if you want it this   
way."   
The first hour was fun…the subsequent hours after  
that-ouch.  
  
**********  
Such a simple, common object saved their hides.   
Beryl was a hurricane of rage when they returned   
empty-handed, even though she had been witnessing the   
entire scene through her globe, and any person with a  
hint of brain could tell that her minions couldn't have   
done anything to prevent the Senshi and Generals from  
vanishing in an explosion of white light. She was a   
hairbreadth away from vaporizing the four of them when   
Malachite presented the item they had retrieved from   
one of the local businesses.   
"Well," she said simply, waving her hand. The   
glass square floated out of Malachite's hands and soared   
over to Beryl, where it hovered in front of her face.   
Another wave, and the wood and glass shattered, leaving  
the single sheet of glossy paper. She plucked it out   
of the air and turned it over. "Are you sure it's   
them?"  
"Without a doubt, my Queen."   
Her fangs exposed as she smiled. Beryl cackled   
again, black lightening coursing around her body.   
"Hello boys. I guess that Mercury forgot this little   
detail in her plan to hide your identities." The   
names, printed on the back of the black and white   
photograph of four boys, dirty and posing in front   
of the camera after a game of football, was a death   
sentence written in blue Bic. "Starting lower center,  
L to R: Zachary Straub, Jason Melman, Kevin Belles,   
Matthew Haberman."   
  
********  
  
hello, can you say "prequel"? im starting it soon!   



	11. 11

Part 11..im still going  
  
  
Upon completion: Oh lord i will be the first to admit this part absolutely   
sucks. I don't know what i was thinking; all i can say is that this is   
total filler and i'm stuck in a creative rut...even with heavy editing   
it still sucks. It's totally melodramatic in some places, unbearable shallow  
in others...i apologize in advance. I just want to write the ending, dammit!  
Not the precursor to the ending!  
The Beryl part might be (will be) a little confusing, but bear with me here.  
I do have a point, really.   
Ugh, here we go: on with the total sap. Please flame me. Venusorbit1@aol.com  
  
i do not own sailor moon.  
  
*****************************************************************************  
***********  
  
Darien slung one leg onto the coffee table and frantically tapped   
the controller's buttons, desperately attempting to give his running   
back a speed burst before he was completely pummeled. "Come on, run,   
you piece of shit!" The speed burst came a second too late, and the   
player went down in a burst of animated glory. Matt's Giants performed   
a choreographed victory dance on the sidelines.   
"Nice hustle, Chiba," Matt cracked his knuckles. "If I want a challenge   
next time, I'll play Artemis. And he doesn't even have any thumbs."  
"You ARE an asshole, Matt," Darien muttered. Matt held out the plastic   
jug of Sunny Delight, and he accepted and took a swig. They were planted on   
the couch in front of the TV, ignoring last night's incredible mess that   
surrounded the island of a couch like an ocean. Approximately 400 red plastic   
party cups covered the floor like new-fallen snow, and not all had been thrown   
on the carpet completely empty, thus the squishy, sodden carpet. A strange,   
acrid odor hung around the kitchen, youma or pot, most likely the latter,   
and one's shoes stuck to the beer-and-dirt glue layered on the linoleum. Darien   
had woken up smelling like a homeless alcoholic with a bad case of halitosis.   
After showering, he had borrowed a change of clothes from Matt, whose wardrobe   
took up the majority of the closet that he disproportionately shared with Jay,   
and had used the red toothbrush, whoever's that was.   
Darien's Broncos trotted off the field, heads hung in defeat. "I would   
have had that in the bag if the speed burst worked."  
"You're blaming the speed burst? Maybe you're just too damn slow." Matt   
yawned. "What time does the game start again?"  
"Two. We have a good hour or so before we have to leave."  
Kevin appeared from the hallway, clad only in a pair of shorts and his tattoo.   
His eyes were glassy. "What the hell happened in here?" He kicked a pile of plastic   
cups out of his path to the couch.   
"If you didn't drink so much you would have remembered," Matt replied, jerking   
the controller sideways as he spun away from Darien's tackle. Kevin plopped heavily   
next to Darien, groaning.   
"I could easily sleep for another five hours." He leaned his head against the   
back of the couch and picked up the Sunny D. "Don't we have any cups?"  
"Sure, we got tons, just look on the floor."  
"I play winner."  
"That's going to be...me! Yes!" Darien smacked an incredulous Matt in the   
back of the head. "Didn't see that opening, huh?"  
"I did," Kevin announced. He pulled the controller out of Matt's hands.   
"You're a disgrace, Matt; you let some Japanese kid who's probably never even seen   
a single Super Bowl beat you at football."  
Matt shook a pack of Camels on the coffee table and was satisfied with the   
telltale rattle of a lone cigarette bouncing off of the cardboard interior.   
"I hope he beats your hungover ass, Kev. Hey, Darien."   
"Huh?"   
Matt flicked his lighter and lit up. "Don't you think it's weird that all of   
you are from Japan, and you're all Caucasian? Did you live in like, Little   
America or something?"  
He thought about it, probably for the first time in his life, and tried   
to lay the pieces together. "I never really thought about it. I know that   
Mina's parents are from England, because she has dual citizenship, and Lita's   
parents were in the military. I think they were American, but I'm not sure;   
she was born in Japan. Serena's parents were descendants of missionaries, and   
I don't know about Raye and Amy. Raye's mother must have been at least part   
Japanese, because her grandfather is one hundred percent Asian."  
"What about you?" Kevin's 49ers were already fourteen points up, and only   
four minutes had clicked by on the clock.   
Unnoticed by the other two, Darien suddenly clenched the controller so   
tightly that his entire hand turned white. "I don't know. I don't think anyone   
did."  
They were silent for a few minutes, the only sound in the room being John   
Madden's voice as he provided the commentary. Matt ashed his cigarette onto the   
floor. "Who's going to clean up this place? Jay would be shitting himself if   
he could see this." Contrary to popular believe, Jay was the anal neat freak   
of the house, despite being so laid back he was practically prone. He stored   
his collection of Mr. Clean, Fantastik, and sponges in assorted shapes and   
sizes under the kitchen sink. Kevin grunted.   
"Why don't you just ash on the floor and make it worse?"   
Matt extended his arm and exaggeratedly flicked his ashes on the floor.   
"Like this?"   
"Keep doing that, Matt."  
"When did you start caring? It's bad enough that my mother's hounding my   
ass, telling me that I'm going to die of emphysema."  
Darien was silent for a few minutes. "Actually, you won't."   
"Yeah, I'm sure, because Camels go down SMOOTH, and don't leave a layer   
of tar on the inside of your lungs like other brands." He exhaled a cloud of smoke.   
Do they even know? Should I tell them? Dammit I wish Luna were here!   
She's so much better at dropping A-bombs than I am! "No, you won't, because   
you're not going to die for a very long time."  
"Are you kidding? With my lungs and liver, I'll be lucky to see seventy."  
"No!" His voice was much more insistent, and both of his Generals gave   
him a strange look. "What I mean is, well, since the...Let me put it this way.   
If you have the same physiology as the Senshi, which I'm almost positive you   
do, your lifespan is dramatically increased. In fact, you should stop aging   
soon."  
Matt paused. "So, when you say dramatically increased, you mean I'm   
going to see a hundred, and look like I'm twenty?"  
"I mean you're going to see five hundred and look like you're twenty."  
The two guys to either side of him ceased movement and breathing,   
allowing Darien the opportunity to easily score a touchdown. He was used   
to the news already, but at the same time he could remember how he felt when   
Luna had pronounced him practically immortal. "You could still die thought,   
so don't get any ideas. When Luna told me, I was about to join the Air Force   
or something, just as long as it involved risk..."  
Matt held out his cigarette and smiled. "So you mean, I beat cancer?"  
"Guess so."  
"HAH! Screw you, nicotine, I won!" He took several victorious puffs in   
succession and blew it right in Darien's face. "I beat cancer! I beat cancer!"  
Kevin had stopped controlling his players, and was oblivious to the fact   
that Darien was utilizing his temporary advantage to score several times in a   
row, once on a 99-yard punt return. His face paled to the color of dead ashes   
as his mind trekked several steps into the future, exploring the outcomes   
instead of blindly celebrating the current situation, as Matt was, bouncing on   
the couch like a two-year old who just drank a gallon of Jolt. "We're going   
to outlive our families, aren't we?" he said hollowly. "We're going to   
outlive everyone."  
Darien successfully went in for the extra two. "OK, I know where this   
is going, and I'm not even going to try to explain the shit that's going to   
go down. I'll have Luna and Artemis give you the big 'Why You Should not   
Drop out of School and Bum Around Europe just Because You Are Going to Live   
to be a Thousand Speech.' They'll clear up all the shit for you; I'm still   
dealing with it myself."  
"A thousand? I thought you said five hundred!" Now Matt had a trace   
of panic in his voice, and Darien wondered why he had opened his mouth in   
the first place.   
"Hey, it could be anything, not just a round number, all right? Forget   
I said anything in the first place, OK? You are going to die of cancer."  
"But you said-"  
"You'll die in the next ten minutes if you don't shut up!"  
Matt rattled a few empty packs on the table, desperate for another  
smoke. "OK, we'll talk about it later. I'm just going with the presumption   
that I'm going to die in the next ten years." He found a pack with three   
left. "And I was going to quit, too. Oh well."  
Kevin squinted at the box score in the corner, disbelieving his eyes.   
"Wait, what's the score?"  
"Thirty six to fourteen," Darien mumbled.   
"You scored on me when I was zoned out, you asshole!"   
"Like you wouldn't do the same!" Darien countered, his eyes ablaze.   
Kevin's face cracked into a grin.   
"You ARE an asshole, Chiba. Too bad you can't beat me on your own."   
They settled back into their game, only breaking the comfortable silence   
with muttered curses, mutual insults, and an excess of macho taunting.   
Guy shit.   
  
**********  
  
The stands let out a communal "OOOH!" as the barely visible ball   
sailed over the second baseman's outstretched glove by a good foot or so,   
landing and bouncing in the outfield, allowing the runner who was stealing   
second to go ahead to third. Bryce's team manager jumped out of the dugout,   
swelling up like a water balloon stretched over a faucet, and began screaming   
at the hapless catcher who had overthrown. Serena slapped her hand over   
her forehead and groaned.   
"Oh my God, Jay is having the worst game of his life!" She moaned   
dramatically, unaware that Jay's worst game of his life occurred in his first   
year of Little League when he ran the bases backwards and then cried. She   
was pretty close though; Jay was having a terrible game.   
"I wonder why," Raye mumbled, staring down at her hot dog and blushing   
a peculiar shade of red. She turned her attention back to Jay, who was   
putting his mask back on and looking particularly disgusted with himself.   
Her heartstrings were not merely pulled, but nearly ripped from her body in   
one long piece. Oh, he looks so sad! I wish I could go down there and   
hug him or something! And he really looks cute in all that catcher   
padding-gear-stuff! And the tight pants! She shook her head. When did   
I start thinking like Serena?   
"He's just having an off-day," Mina explaining, leaning back in her   
seat and yawning. "I used to have those when I played volleyball." She   
pulled on her gray DZ sweatshirt. "Why is it getting so cold?"  
"Why are you so tired?" Lita was sitting on her opposite side,   
curling one of her long fingers around a shiny brown curl. She was having   
a particularly good hair day, if she did say so herself. Where the   
hell is Matt? He said he'd be here, and want him to see my hair while   
it still looks good!   
"Why are you so preoccupied with your hair?"   
"Why do you ask so many questions?"   
"Stop it, you two." Amy's eyes were glued to the bullpen, where   
Zach was warming up. Her mind felt fuzzy and disconnected, as emotion   
was invading the stronghold that reason had over her brain. The previous   
night was stuck in replay, no matter what she tried to distract herself   
with. She thought of the warm comfort of waking up in his arms, the way   
he pulled her close and kissed her, how the bed smelled like him after   
he left. She had curled up on that spot and laid there for a good hour   
or so, tracing the crease in the pillow that his head had left behind.   
"WATCH OUT!" The shouted warning snapped Amy out of her daydream,   
and a hand shot out a foot from her face and snagged the foul ball before   
it had a chance to smash into her face and break her nose. The crowd   
clapped politely at Lita's one handed catch, oblivious to Amy, who was   
hyperventilating in shock. "Whoa, where's your mind, Amy? You should   
have seen that one coming."  
"I-I was..." She didn't even know what to say, and to her horror,   
her face turned hot and she blushed. "I'm sorry, Lita, I really should   
be paying attention."  
All four of her friends were staring at her like she had suddenly   
sprouted an extra head or something. "What? What's the matter?"  
Mina and Serena dissolved into giggles, and Raye leaned in so far   
she was practically resting her head on Amy's shoulder. "You did, didn't   
you?"  
"What are you talking about?"   
Raye ripped open a pack of mustard with her canines and squeezed it on   
her hot dog. "You know, it! The only it worth talking about!"  
"Oh, that it," she said softly. "Yeah, that it."  
Serena squealed. "Oh my lord Amy why didn't you tell us? How was it?"  
Amy wanted to crawl under the stands and die. Oh my God what do I   
say? She stammered incoherently for a few minutes before coming out   
with, "Fine."  
Raye snickered. "You're not supposed to say 'fine,' Ames, it's supposed   
to be, 'mind-blowing.'"  
Amy covered her face with both of her hands. "I can't believe you   
guys! We're not supposed to talk about this!"  
Lita licked her fingertips and pressed them against a lock of hair.   
"Why not, Amy? It's perfectly natural and you shouldn't be embarrassed   
about it! Take Raye, for example. She definitely got laid last night,   
otherwise Jay wouldn't be playing so badly."  
Raye's eyes widened as she choked on a mouthful of bun, and she   
reached over and punched Lita in the arm. "Oh, so what about you? You're   
sitting here preening like Miss America!"  
Mina yawned again, nearly cracking her jaw in half. "Who wants   
to go for a coffee run?" she asked over the squabbling of the two girls.   
Serena burst into a grin. "AWW! This is hysterical! Amy's all   
distracted, Lita's all into her appearance, Mina's all tired and Raye   
messed up Jay's game. It couldn't be more perfect!" She felt a tugging   
on her pant leg. "Oh, hi Luna! Hi Artemis!"   
"What's all this fuss about?" Luna whispered, curling her body   
around Serena's feet.   
"Nothing," all five girls said in chorus, all suddenly preoccupied   
with various points around the stadium.   
"How's the game going?" Artemis poked up his head as much as he could   
without being detected.   
"Bryce is losing, thanks to Jay and his sucky performance." Lita   
ran both hands through her hair and swiveled around to check the stands.   
"That bad? I wonder what happened?" Luna didn't notice how red   
Raye's face was.   
"Couldn't tell you," she muttered, pulling several strands of black   
hair out of the mustard pool on her hot dog. "Aw, gross."  
Another foul ball came pinging towards the stands, to the girls'   
right, and was caught by a tall, dark haired guy heading down the stands   
to the front. The crowd applauded again as he threw it back onto the   
field.  
"Darien!" Serena chirped, standing up and waving. Artemis tried   
to see around Mina's legs.   
"They're late; it's already the third inning."  
Lita shrugged. "It's not like they missed much. Baseball's not the   
most action-packed sport there is; they don't even have a shot-clock."   
She smiled at Matt as he sat behind her and kissed the top of her head.   
"You look great," he mumbled low enough so his friends wouldn't   
hear. She beamed. Hell yeah, he noticed my hair!   
Kevin slid in next to Mina. She let her head drop onto his shoulder.   
"Hi," she mumbled with her eyes closed, inhaling the scent on his neck.  
He had obviously shaved; his face smelled like Edge shave gel.   
"Tired?"  
"Yeah," she said with her eyes closed. "You?"  
"Yeah."  
Darien checked the scoreboard. "Two errors already? Who's been   
screwing up?"  
Serena sighed heavily and smiled, like a small child giving up a   
big secret. "Jay. Both are on him."  
That animated the lethargic Kevin for a few seconds. "Both of them?   
Oh my God, he should be hanging his head in shame." Behind his head, Matt   
elbowed Darien and pointed at Raye. They both smirked.   
"Oh he's way beyond hanging his head in shame," Serena supplied.   
"He's moved on to 'slinking off the field with his tail between his legs   
and paper bag over his face.'"  
"Speaking of tail..." was all Matt got out before Lita elbowed him   
in the solar plexus, knocking all available oxygen out of his lungs,   
eradicating his next comment into silence.   
"Hey, Luna." Luna padded behind legs to get to Darien. "I need your   
help later," he whispered.   
"Why, what's the matter Darien?" she said in the same hushed tone.   
Darien swallowed.   
"I kind of let it slip to the guys that they're going to, you know,"   
he stalled. "Live forever."   
Luna gasped, an automatic response these days. "Darien, you didn't!   
Did you fully explain the conditions and consequences surrounding the   
entire issue..."  
"No, I just kind of told them to talk to you later."  
"Oh dear lord," Luna huffed. How do I even put up with this? I keep   
forgetting that they're just a bunch of kids and have no idea of what they   
are doing. "All right, don't worry, I'll take care of it. I'm used to   
doing damage control already."  
Artemis had been listening in. "No wonder Jay's having such a bad game;   
he has all this on his mind."  
Serena interrupted loudly. "No, I think it's because he had sex with Raye   
last night."  
Raye had never turned so red so fast, and she cracked Serena on the   
arm with enough force to make the other girl yelp. Everyone but the cats   
and Kevin burst out laughing. Luna fumed while Artemis flushed, and Kevin   
simply smiled. "Serena!" Raye hissed venom. "Shut...UP!"  
"It's OK, Raye," Matt smirked. "Everyone has sex. I had-ouch! I'm   
sorry!"  
"You'd better be." Now Lita was turning red. Raye sat with her face   
in her hands.   
Luna cleared her throat, trying to restore order. "I think we should   
have a meeting tonight, all of us, and try figure out what the Negaverse is   
up to, and what they're going to do next."  
"And why the hell they trashed Graduate Ave.," Lita muttered, automatically   
cracking her knuckles.   
"OK, be at our place tonight," Matt offered. "We'll get some food, play   
some cards, drink some beer..." He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, despite   
the glare Lita was throwing him, and began patting his pockets for a lighter.   
"And find out what the hell's going on. I don't know about you guys, but   
I have a little score to settle with that Zoycite guy. The little fuck   
almost took off my head last night...where the hell is my lighter? Kev,   
help me out."   
Kevin rewound the scene in his head. "It's on the kitchen table back   
home. You never put it back in your pocket."  
"Oh, G-damn," he muttered. "What am I supposed to do now, rub two   
sticks together?"   
"How 'bout you go two hours without a cigarette?" Lita said dryly.   
Raye swiveled around in her seat to make sure no one was watching,   
and then turned around and faced Matt. "Here," she said, cupping her hands   
together. A small flame sprung in the pocket between them, and Matt leaned   
over and lit his cigarette off of it.   
"Thanks. Hey, you're even windproof." He smiled. "A human Zippo."   
"Well, we'll see you later," Artemis said, rubbing his head against   
Mina's legs one more time.   
"You're not staying?" Serena asked. Luna raised her head and   
looked out at the field.   
"We're losing anyway," she pronounced, jumping down the crack and   
landing underneath the stands. "See you tonight. Good bye."  
"Bye," they chorused as Artemis's tail disappeared from view.   
"Strike three!" the umpire called. Jay slammed his bat against   
the ground in frustration.   
"Oh, man, this is getting painful," Darien moaned. Raye wrung her   
hands.   
"Don't worry baby, just focus," she whispered.  
Meanwhile, Luna and Artemis were making their way out from underneath   
the stadium. "Artemis?" Luna picked her way around the garbage that the   
stadium crew had obviously not gotten to in over a year.   
"Over here," came the response. Artemis had stepped in a half-eaten   
cotton candy, and was trying to pull the sticky pink sugar off of his paws   
without it getting ground into his fur. "Ugh, this stuff is so sticky! How   
can humans eat this; it's nothing more than sugar and dye."  
"That's probably why they like it," Luna explained. Her voice softened.   
"Artemis, did you hear what the girls said up there?"  
Artemis used his mouth to pull at the confection, and ended up with   
it all over his face. "About what?"  
"About...it, you know." Her kitty face fell a little into a   
weary, nostalgic expression, the expression a mother gets when she   
sends her baby away to college. "I keep forgetting that they're not   
little girls anymore; they're almost all grown up. When they graduated   
from high school, I thought, there, that's it, they're going to leave   
and I'll have to accept the fact that they're growing up, but we came   
with them, Artemis. I've never been away from them until now, because   
now they're all..."  
"Falling in love?" Artemis said from around a mouthful of pink sugar.   
"Yes."  
Artemis rolled on his back, still attempting to pick off the   
epoxy-like fluff. Rather than sigh with exasperation or chastise him,   
Luna padded over and began assisting him. "Luna, how do you think I feel?   
Minako-when I first found her she was only thirteen. Still in a training  
bra, still collecting dolls, still losing baby teeth, even. She was so   
innocent and carefree; all she cared about was dressing up and making all   
those movies so that people would ask for her autograph in airports and   
shopping malls. I was the one that had to break it to her that her childhood   
as she knew it was over. I had to take that childhood away from her, to   
make her train and fight and give up those dolls and volleyballs and boys.   
And I was with her when she moved back to Japan, when she had to   
look for the Moon Princess. She was at the height of her insecurity then."  
"I know what that's like," Luna chuckled. "Sailor Moon used to   
crumble into tears every time she faced a youma."  
He swatted at more cotton candy. "I watched her grow up, Luna. I   
watched her shoot up nine inches and three cup sizes, and I watched as   
she grew older and more beautiful. Soon she was flying off to London and   
Paris and wherever else they wanted her so they could dress her up and   
take pictures of her for their own profit.   
The next thing I know, my innocent little girl, the little girl   
that used to sleep with me under my arm like a teddy bear, she's gone.   
When she looks at him, I know what she's thinking. I know what he's   
thinking; I know what he wants. He looks at her that way, and I can't   
believe he's thinking THAT about my little girl." Boiled to the point   
of frustration, he let out a strangled cry and started frantically   
scratching at the cotton candy plastered to his face.   
Luna stopped him gently before he hurt himself. Above them, a baseball   
pinged off of an aluminum bat and the crowd started cheering. "Kunzite   
wouldn't hurt her; he loves her," she said, trying to assuage her own   
feelings by rationalizing the situation.   
"I know that Luna." His voice was drowned to a whisper. "It still hurts   
somehow; I mean, I couldn't expect her to be alone her entire life, but-but   
I just wonder where my place is going to be, if her place is with him."  
Luna bent her head down and pressed her forehead against his. "Your   
place, Artemis, is with me."   
They sat quietly for a few moments, rubbing their heads together   
since, by simple biology, cats cannot kiss. "I love you," Luna murmured   
into the white fur on the back of his neck, which promptly stood up at her   
declaration. "Let's go back to Darien's; I think I've found out where he   
keeps the catnip. And I can give you a bath, you're covered in sugar."  
Artemis purred. He jumped up, dirt and debris sticking to the tacky   
parts of his fur. "Is that a promise?"  
Luna giggled in a way that was very unlike her. "Perhaps." She shook   
her head to get any loose dirt out; the tags that Darien made her wear   
jingling like bells. Artemis turned and trotted out into the sunlight, looking   
back and laughing at the sight of his beloved shaking her head like a common   
canine. He was halfway turned when he slammed into someone or something, most   
likely a someone, since the path had been clear mere seconds ago.   
He automatically meowed, just a normal housecat who happened to   
escape the backyard.  
  
** ********  
  
Darien juggled the two unwieldy paper bags as he tried to kick   
open the front door of the building, obviously designed by an idiotic   
architect who had it swing outward instead of inward and screwed multitudes   
of grocery shoppers who returned home with their arms full of bags.   
"Stupid...friggin'..." He really couldn't think of an obscenity big enough.   
"I got it, don't drop those," Matt warned as he got in front of   
Darien and pulled open the door. "Huh," he said as soon as they got   
into the door. "Wonder why Zach or Jay didn't get the mail; they're home   
already."  
"Beats the hell out of me. Would you please get it instead of talking   
about it? My arms are about to break."   
Matt pulled his keychain out and stuck a key into the mailbox.   
"Darien, will you take a shit or something? You're being all uptight and   
Kunzite-ish." He pulled out the stack of mail, a thick pack of envelopes   
and a magazine. "This must be from yesterday."  
"Sorry," Darien apologized, even though he wasn't the least bit sorry.   
He's the one who gets to carry food in a little, convenient, lightweight   
bag with HANDLES.   
Jay was moping on the couch when they got to the apartment. "If either   
of you says one word, I swear to God I will take you outside and beat you   
like a red-headed stepchild. I'm really not in the mood." And he wasn't.   
"VH1" was the channel of choice on the television, and he hadn't even   
bothered to change it.   
Zach emerged from bathroom, scarily armed with a long, medieval-looking   
sword that appeared equally scarily sharp. "Hey, look what I found!" He   
began rotating it around with both hands, the blade hissing every time it   
severed more air.   
"Where the hell did you get that from?" Matt nearly fell over in   
shock when he spotted his friend whipping around the very lethal weapon.   
"He pulled it out of thin air," Jay explained lackadaisically, still   
simmering in his morose. "I can too, see?" He held out his hand and turned   
it over quickly, like he was dropping something. Another sword appeared,   
handle first, swinging in his hand. He flicked his arm again and it disappeared.   
"It's in the same place we keep our gloves. You and Kevin probably have   
them too." He never took his eyes off of the screen.   
Matt touched the place that existed between the world and his mind, the place   
where his gloves were kept; the stupid, butler-like white gloves that would   
transform him into Nephrite. Why was he only halfway surprised to find it   
there? The feel of the handle in his grip, the heft of it despite it's light   
appearance; it was all second nature again. I remember this. It's coming   
back to me. Snippets of the Silver Millennium were leaking through again:   
training for hours a day, weeks on end, year after year. Jadeite was the   
switch-hitter; he could fight with either hand just like he could bat both   
sides, and was likely to switch several times during a fight just to mess   
you up. Kunzite was hard to fight, not only because he was good, undoubtedly   
better than the rest of them, but also because he could only fight left,   
screwing up your entire dynamic. Endymion was the quickest; Nephrite of Old  
had a scar on his shoulder where his prince had once nicked him during   
practice.   
The novelty had obviously worn off for Zach; he was now more interested   
in the bag of food than the thousand-year old relic that he had only recently   
discovered.   
"Oh cool, did you get Fresno's?" He took the bag out of Matt's free   
hand and began unloading its contents onto the kitchen table. "What's in the   
bag?"  
"Smirnoff," Matt said absently, putting away his sword and turning   
his attention to the mail. He ripped open the top envelope. "Maybe for   
tonight, I'm not sure."  
"Good, I seriously need a drink. Where's Kev?"   
"Parking the car." No sooner were the words out of Darien's mouth   
when Kevin came through the front door, a 30-pack of Coors Light effortlessly   
balanced on his shoulder.   
"Beer's here."  
"Give me one," Jay grouched. "Where's Raye?" He was talking in   
caveman-mode.   
"Coming down. They had to stop at their dorm for something. Why are   
you watching 'Behind the Music with Poison'?"  
"Get bent."  
Zach was sawing his cheesesteak in half with his sword. Kevin remained   
unruffled. "Oh, you found it."  
"Yep."  
"I don't think that's what it was intended for."   
"It's metal, sharp, and can cut cheesesteaks. That's all I care   
about."   
"Wait," Jay popped open his can. "How did you know they existed?   
Zach and I only found ours when we got home."   
"I found mine a while ago. I didn't want to say anything because,   
you know, I thought that I was the only one allowed to-"  
Darien saw his opportunity, and pounced. "You thought you were   
the only one capable of a sword!"  
"No, I-"  
"Yeah you did," Zach laughed, slicing Darien's cheesesteak for   
him, despite the fact that there was a very available drawer full of very   
clean steak knives very nearby. "You are full of yourself, Kev."  
Matt held up a blue and white envelope. "Water bill! Fork it over,   
you guys."  
They all groaned, Jay the loudest of all. "Spot me, won't you buddy?"  
"Hell no! I paid to get the boot off of MY car that YOU illegally   
parked last month, probably the last five cover charges to penny night at   
Dominic's, and the food that you're currently eating."   
"This sucks," Zach muttered, wandering into his room and emerging   
with a handful of bills. "I was going to take Amy out, too. If only someone   
would stop the cavalier flushing going on in this place..."  
"Zach, if you think I'm sticking to your Nazi-like flushing regime,   
you... Hey, wow, I'd like to throw her a shot..." Realization dawned, and   
Matt stopped talking mid-sentence. The water bill, along with the rest of   
the mail, fluttered to the floor like dead leaves.   
"What is it?" Darien asked, suddenly curious. Matt's jaw popped open   
and shut with no sound coming out. Jay was suddenly interested.   
"Yeah what is it? You win Publisher's Clearing House or something?"  
Kevin was in the kitchen while this dialogue took place, tying off the   
neck of the completely filled garbage can. "Damn, we're out of bags. I'll go   
see if Musto has any..." As he turned around, Matt slammed the magazine   
against his chest. If he could have looked any guiltier, twelve in the box   
would have convicted him before they heard a lick of evidence. Kevin's eyes   
narrowed.  
"What's going on?"   
"Nothing?" Matt gulped. "OK, I lied, SOMETHING, but it's really not a   
big deal."  
"Give it to me."  
"No!"  
Kevin advanced; Matt flipped the publication like a Frisbee to Zach,   
who deftly plucked it out of the air. His green eyes widened in shock. "Kev,   
don't shoot the messenger, OK?" He threw it at Darien, who instinctively caught   
it, despite the warning bells going off in his head.   
He was slammed against the floor as Kevin unceremoniously tackled him   
and pried the magazine out of his death grip. One look at the cover almost sent   
him into cardiac arrest.   
What Matt had been trying to keep from Kevin was the latest copy of Maxim.   
A girl graced the cover, her blond hair falling in thick, tousled waves around   
her angelic face. Her blue eyes were only half-open, heavily shadowed gray and   
black, her lips lightly glossed. She wore an obscenely tight, button-down white   
shirt, only one of the buttons near the bottom actually buttoned, both of her   
breasts sans nipples exposed. It must have been held in place with double-sided   
Scotch tape, or Elmer's glue, or some kind of adhesive since it looked as if she   
took a mere breath, it would shift and she would be naked from the waist up. Her   
tiny black underwear probably covered more skin than the entire shirt. Hell,   
her hair probably covers more. One hand rested lightly against her naked leg,   
her dreamy eyes and half-smile practically screaming a single phrase.   
"FUCK ME!"   
Kevin was beyond speaking, or movement, or breath, or anything else that   
required a part of the brain not including the medulla oblongata.   
Zach sucked in his breath, ready for the worst, and held up his sword with   
both hands.   
With much effort, Jay pried himself from the couch and peered around Kevin's arm.   
Uh-oh. The shit is gonna hit the fan!   
"Oh, come on Kevin, it's no big deal!" Matt was going in for some damage   
control. "You should be proud! I mean, you're dating the Maxim girl! Do you know   
how many guys want the Maxim girl?"   
"Yes." His voice was ice and steel. Matt cringed. Oh crap wrong answer.   
"Yeah, I mean, do you see Musto's girlfriend on the cover of any magazine   
that doesn't have to do with porno?" Jay crossed his arms. "You're forgetting that   
this is Mina's career, this is what she wants to do with her life, and if she   
gets a break like this and is successful, good for her. You should be happy for   
her instead of being all pissy that you can see everything but the pootie tang."   
Kevin was silent. Darien cleared his throat. "I don't think that makes   
him feel better, Jay."   
"Why? He's being all bitchy about it when Mina didn't even know she was   
getting the cover until the last minute."  
Slowly, abysmally slowly, Kevin pried his eyes off of the glossy cover and   
fixed his penetrating gaze onto his oldest and best friend. "You knew about this   
beforehand?" His voice was like liquid nitrogen.   
Jay saw his error and backpedaled. "NO! I mean, kind of, I just...Mina   
didn't want you to know, OK? She thought you would freak out, and she was right   
because you are, and she didn't want to get you upset, you see what I mean? I   
wouldn't want you to know either if I knew you were going to be such a little   
bitch about it.  
So she's naked! Big deal! It's not like we've never seen naked girls before,   
right? Hell, we get Skinamax!" A flash of a memory flew through his mind. "I saw   
her naked once!"  
They stood silent for a moment, remembering. "I did too," Matt admitted   
weakly, fearing for his life. "But that was an accident! She was waiting for   
you! Besides, it was a thousand years ago, anyway.   
Come on, Kev, suck it up. It's no big deal."  
"What if it was Lita?"  
"I would be perfectly OK with it." Matt lied right through his flawlessly   
capped front teeth. "Just deal with it. And besides, what can you realistically   
do, buy every copy in the state of California?"  
"Yes."   
Someone pounded her fist against the door. Darien opened it. "Hey girls."  
"Hello gorgeous!" Serena fell into his embrace. "Mmm, something smells   
good! Who's got the food?"  
"Me." Zach picked up a napkin and started wiping congealing cheese off   
of his sword's blade. Amy peered at him curiously.   
"Where did you get that?"  
"Long story."  
"Found 'em."   
Kevin was waiting for someone. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"  
Mina gave him a strange look. "Sure." They headed off to the bedroom;   
Serena watched them leave with suspicion sprouting in her mind.   
"What's going on?" She asked the room. Matt cleared his throat and handed   
her the copy of the magazine. The girls crowded around and peeked over her   
shoulders. The rest of the room watched as their eyes practically bulged   
out of their heads and their jaws dropped.   
"Oh," Serena squeaked.   
"My," Amy supplied.  
"God," Lita concluded. Her face clouded over. "Damn I hate that girl!   
She's got such a tiny ass!"  
Darien pulled a Coors out of the refrigerator and popped it open. "I   
think that Kevin's less concerned about the state of her ass than the fact   
that it is almost entirely on display for millions of horny servicemen and   
scary recluses to enjoy."  
"What are you talking about?" Amy, ever the stickler for details, opted   
to clarify. "This picture is from the front, we can't even see her butt. Her   
chest, however-"  
"Uh, Ames," Serena said, holding the magazine open. "Scratch that." Inside,   
Mina was leaning on the hood of a red car.   
"OK," Lita started flipping pages. "Here she is on top of the car, and   
here she is sitting on its hood, and..."  
"Let me see." Jay elbowed his way in. "What?" he asked, off of the look of   
Raye.  
"You guys, relax, this is her job now," Raye sighed. "Did you ever see   
pictures from her runway work? Sometimes you can see everything, and I mean   
everything."  
"We're not the ones freaking out about this, Kevin is. I guess it's different   
when it's your girlfriend."  
Raye crossed her arms. "And what difference does that make?"  
"None, except that it proves that you know absolutely nothing about   
guys."   
"Whatever," Matt said. "Let's just eat some food and drink some beer, and celebrate   
having our very own Maxim girl under our roof. Those two will work things out   
and start grinding in no time, give them five or ten minutes." He snuck a glance   
behind his back at the closed bedroom door. "I think that now that Kevin is   
preoccupied with other matters, this is a prime opportunity to show the girls   
the you-know tape."  
Jay's expression remained blank for a minute, and then he broke into a   
grin.   
"Oh, you mean, YEAH! Let's do it!"  
"What tape?" Serena asked innocuously, her mouth full of Kevin's   
cheesesteak.   
He's not here to enjoy it, so why shouldn't I?   
Matt and Zach were already snickering. "Here, we'll show you," Zach   
choked. Jay started rummaging through the video pile and stuffed a tape   
in the dusty VCR's mouth.   
"Wow, we haven't used this thing in like, forever. This all happened   
last year, two nights after the football team beat USC."   
"Behind the Music" blipped off and was replaced with the dim interior   
of a bar. A stage was set up, with a drum set shoved towards the back, and   
Kevin and another guy in front. Kevin seemed to be having one hell of a   
time keeping himself standing, and was heavily supported on one side by   
some guy. "That's Eddie, the tight end," Jay clarified. To the utter shock   
and extreme horror of everyone present, and to the amusement of everyone   
on screen, including the entire football team, Kevin was drunkenly mangling   
his way through "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35."   
"Oh my gosh!" Serena burst into hysterical giggles. "Look, everyone's   
singing along!"   
"How drunk was he?" Lita gasped through her laughter.   
"This tape says it all. He could barely stand up." Jay was slowly   
brightening as his horrific game retreated further and further into the   
stream of time. "They were forcing everyone who was drunk enough to sing;   
as soon as they dragged Kevin up I ran to this kid Brian Gordan's house   
and got his camera. This is one moment in my life that I would never want   
to forget."  
"We were pushing for 'The Bum Bum Song,' but he wouldn't do it,"   
Matt said.  
Raye snorted. "This is priceless! God, I wish I was there!"  
They let the carnage play on, the humiliation and amusement increasing   
with every chorus. Fittingly, Zach blurted, "Speaking of stoned, why does   
everyone smoke up in our place? The kitchen has been smelling like weed   
for three months."   
  
  
***********  
  
"What is...?" Mina managed to get her two words out before she was   
interrupted.   
"Why didn't you tell me?" She looked up at his eyes; they were like   
stone.   
"Tell you what?" She asked innocently. How could he know that I   
used his razor? I mean, could he tell the difference between guy hair and   
girl hair stuck in it or something? Or maybe it was because I used his toothbrush.   
But I didn't even know if it was his; it might have been Matt's. Ew. I might   
have had Matt's saliva and plaque cocktail in my mouth!   
He stared at her, hard, intense. "That you were naked on the cover of   
Maxim."   
Her mouth dropped open as her mind searched for a suitable answer that   
would lower the red cape from in front of the bull. "I was not naked!"  
"Pretty close to it, then."  
She pulled up her entire five-nine and a half frame, which, though tall   
by average girl standards, still fell pitifully short of six and a half feet.   
"I was practically glued into that shirt, thank you very much, so there was   
absolutely no threat of me popping out! And that shoot was mild compared to   
some of the stuff I have to wear on the runway. Have you seen Gaultier's   
spring collection yet? Nothing but sheer mesh and transparent..."  
"Please don't continue." Thank God the only guys that go to those   
shows are gay.   
She crossed her arms. "Why are you so upset? I thought you'd be happy   
that I got this opportunity."  
"I am, you know that...I just-"  
"Just what?" Why am I getting mad? I was the one hiding it from   
him in the first place.   
He looked at a point over her head for a few moments, and then started   
over. "Do you know what Matt said when he saw it? 'I'd like to fuck her.'"  
"So, he probably didn't even know it was me! All he saw was a girl on a   
magazine cover!"  
"So did a lot of guys. In a lot of different states."  
It dawned on her. "You're jealous!"  
He shrugged. "How can I not be? Thousands of hard-up prisoners are   
beating off while looking at my girl."  
Mina was aghast. "Why are you worried about this? It's just a picture;   
it's not me for Godsake! It's not like I'm cheating on you with thousands of   
guys who sneak a look at the cover for four seconds in the middle of Borders!"   
"You don't see it, do you?"  
"I don't see it because I don't know what it is!"  
Kevin hadn't shouted yet, and the way he kept his voice low and controlled had  
more of an effect on Mina than if he had screamed in her face. "You don't   
see the way people look at you. The way guys look at you when you pass them   
by. And not just the frat dorks on this campus, I mean, all guys. Taxi drivers.   
McDonald's employees. Dr. McGowen."  
"Dr. McGowen does not look at me! He's...OLD! And...OLD!" A revelation   
hit Kevin square between the eyes; Mina was fighting the way she always fought:   
as slippery as the smarmiest defense lawyer. By bringing up half a million   
other points, pretty soon he would forget what the initial argument was even   
about. You always fell for it before, you dumbass!   
"That's not the point."  
"So?" Heat rushed to her face. "And what, girls don't look at you the   
same way?"  
"No they don't."  
"Yes they do? And you know what they think? They're thinking, 'Hey, look   
at that really stuck up bitch with that really hot guy! She doesn't even deserve   
him!' I could be toothless, have a peg leg and be your friggin' cousin and girls   
would still hate me! Girls hate each other so much it isn't even funny! Even   
some of my sisters hate me, and I've never even done anything to any of them   
except go out with you!"  
"Are you saying that's a problem?" Mina noticeably flinched at his chilling   
tone. She sighed and started over.   
"No, what I'm saying is that it's different for you. Guys aren't   
psycho-jealous like girls are. They see us together and just think that you're   
incredibly lucky; they don't wish death upon you like some of the crazy double   
X's around here." She was getting somewhere, she could tell, just by the way his   
posture relaxed. "Oh, and take a look at Raye. Crazy Kristen wants to literally   
kill her, well, she wants to kill the both of us, but I mean, Raye's never done   
anything to her besides attract the majority of the attention that Kristen thinks   
she should get from guys!" She sidled up to him and turned on the charm like a   
faucet: all blazing smile and flirtatious tone. "Please don't get upset over this,   
if I knew this would come between us I would have never done it." HA! This   
will work! He always caves when I get all apologetic.   
"Sure," he replied, complete with ceiling-glance. Oh yes I knew it! He's   
not mad anymore! And he didn't even suspect that I used his razor!   
  
***********  
  
"Oh, there's your head!" Amy said, pointing. Matt's head bobbed along   
the bottom of the television.   
"Yeah, that's me. I think I get up, like, four more times to go to the   
bathroom, too."  
"Try eight, Matt, you were pissing like a little bitch." Jay dodged the   
empty beer can flung at him. Zach pried himself from the floor.   
"Anyone want anything while I'm up?"  
Darien shook his can. "Yeah, another Sprite."  
"Could you get me a napkin?" Lita crumpled her last used one.   
"How 'bout bringing me the ketchup?"   
"Zach? Could you get me a fork?"   
"Find my lighter, would you?"  
Zach sighed as he fanned away the invisible pot cloud in the kitchen.   
"I was expecting more like a communal 'No, Zach, why don't you take it easy?'   
but I'm a fool to even think...hey we got messages." He punched the button on   
the answering machine with a greasy finger.   
"Who is it?"   
"I don't know Jay, can I play it first? Who do I look like, Miss Cleo?"   
The first message rolled out.   
"Zachary, this is your grandmother-" Zach punched the fast forward button   
quicker than a rattlesnake strikes.   
"OK, that's enough of that!"   
"Oh I don't think so!" Matt leapt up and ran into the kitchen. He   
effortlessly checked Zach against the sink and pounded on the small black box.   
The message resumed while Matt and Zach scuffled back and forth.   
"I want you to call me back when you get home from your game to make sure   
you're all right-"  
"You dick, let go of me!"  
"-and I want to make sure you're not drinking with those friends of yours! I   
may be old but I'm far from stupit-"  
Darien painfully stifled his laughter.  
"-you're not old enuff, you know this! You should be studying, not   
killing your brain with that poison-"  
It went on for another five, fully agonizing minutes, the last three of them   
agonizing over Zach's health, grades, emotional well-being and nutritional   
intake. Finally, Nana ended with, "-and we have to talk about...family   
izzues...so I'll expect to hear from you tonight. Goodbye."  
Zach had taken the entire episode with a healthy dose of good nature,   
but Nana's last sentence made his face pale. Raye stopped the verbal jab she   
was about to make before it even hit the front of her throat. Only Jay opened   
his mouth.  
"Damn, I'm glad my apron strings are cut," he muttered. The machine   
beeped and a new message started.   
"Jason, this is your mother-" That was all it took for everyone to   
explode into laughter.   
"-it's been eight and a half years now and that dog of yours is still   
chewing up my table legs! You promised to take care of it when you were home   
and I don't see-"  
"Please cut through this. I'm sick of my mother bitching about Ripken."   
Matt hit the skip button. "If this is my mother now, I'm going to tweak."  
Mrs. Haberman on the other end would have gladly been welcomed over the   
voice that came through. A soft laugh, and then...  
"Greetings, Generals." Amy gasped and clapped both hands over her mouth.   
Lita dropped her full beer can and let it chug out onto the carpet. Darien   
felt his entire esophagus from stomach to mouth squeeze together until his   
breathing felt tight and restricted. Matt had a strange look on his face.  
"Who is that?"  
Raye sputtered. "What do you mean, who is that? It's Beryl, you tool!"  
"What?" His jaw dropped. "You're kidding! How did she get our number?"  
"The Negaverse Yellow Pages? I don't know!"  
Beryl's voice continued. "Or should I say, Jason Melman? Kevin Belles?   
How about Zachary Straub? Matthew Haberman? What a surprise it should be for   
you four to hear my voice, hmm? I'm afraid Sailor Mercury forgot one little   
piece of evidence to bury."  
Amy's eyes widened as color ran from her face. Serena put an arm around   
her and squeezed.   
"And it was so easy to find where you lived. All it took was one abysmally  
stupid little girl who would do anything for Jedite...even give up her pathetic   
little life."   
Jay sat back, stunned. "Oh no. Kristen."   
"I was very lucky to find someone so obsessed with you, Jason. I believe   
that she could have made a very willing companion, judging by the way she gave   
herself to Jedite.   
But that's another manner, really. What I'm here for is a bit more...  
personal." The screen on the TV changed; Kevin and his intoxicated karaoke cut   
to two very familiar cats, huddled together and shivering against a black stone   
wall.   
"No fucking way!" Serena supplied the screamed declaration, rare in her   
swearing-mode.   
"No harm will come to them, for know at least. I've decided to be a   
little generous, and I'm giving you until tomorrow by sundown to deliver Sailor   
Moon's crystal, and no harm will come to them. After that, I really can't make   
any promises.   
Oh, and if you do decided that life is tolerable without your little   
guardians, and you decide not to take me up on my offer, then you leave me   
no choice but to systematically burn down every dormitory and apartment   
building on your campus, while the occupants are asleep, and unfortunately   
while all the exits are sealed." The screen flickered again, and the scene   
switched to a beige brick building, six floors high, with toxic black smoke   
pouring out of every crack and leak, including several shattered windows.   
"As you can see, I've given myself a little head start, just a few minutes   
ago."  
"Oh," Amy breathed, fumbling in her purse for her Palm Pilot.   
"That's Krieger Hall!" Serena squeaked, transfixed by the swirling red   
and blue lights from the fire trucks that virtually screamed emergency. "She   
burned down Krieger Hall! I have friends there!"   
The voice on the answering machine continued. "And after I'm finished   
razing the university, I'm moving on to-let me see-42 Crescent Court in   
Seattle, Washington? Then 639 Spring Street and 1011 Brader Drive, both in   
Junta California. And then 54-8729 N. Cape St. in San Francisco. Zachary, I   
understand your grandmother lives alone."  
Zach's fists tightened into hammers; but there was nothing in front of   
him that he wanted to or physically could hurt.   
"And Kevin, I understand you have two little sisters, and Jason, you   
have two older ones. They would make perfect gifts for my minions."   
Jay stood up, infuriated, veins popping out in his forehead in neck,   
trembling with unspeakable rage. "Touch them and I'll kill you, bitch!" Everyone   
had forgotten that Beryl couldn't really hear any of them, and they were   
screaming at an inanimate object, which was quite literally unproductive.   
"That is my offer, gentlemen, take it or leave it. And, given the   
circumstances, I doubt that you'll leave it." The machine beeped.  
"End of message," it said, it's mechanical voice almost as chilling as   
the recording it carried.   
No one moved a muscle; no one breathed an ounce. Finally Darien inhaled.   
"Matt, go get them." Matt jumped up and ran into the hallway without protest.   
Jay slid forward, hit STOP on the VCR, and quickly flipped to a local channel.   
Matt focused for a second, and the door wavered and shimmered away,   
giving him a backstage pass to the action inside. Or rather, the inaction. He   
burst in without knocking.   
Mina and Kevin jumped slightly at his unannounced intrusion. "Matt, could   
you give us a second-"  
"Not now, Mina. We need you guys in here." The urgency in his voice   
compelled them to follow without argument.   
Zach was on the phone in the kitchen. "Please, Nana, don't argue with   
me, please! Just tell Uncle Abe you have to stay with him tonight because   
your heat or hot water or WHATEVER is on the fritz. Make something up then,   
he's not going to care! No, I'm dead serious, Nana..."  
"What's going on?" Kevin demanded. Raye was flitting to every window   
like a honeybee collecting pollen, slapping slips of paper on the panes of   
glass and mumbling under her breath. Amy wiped tears from her eyes as she   
typed frenetically into her computer. Matt's hand shook as he tried to light   
his cigarette.  
"This is." Darien punched the answering machine with a little too much   
rage; the black box almost upended with the force of his stab.   
Mina's heart almost fell to the pit of her stomach as the recorded threat   
was repeated. "How did she find us?" She hadn't meant to bark like a field   
general, and Amy's eyes teared up again.   
"I--I don't understand it! I replaced your student files with deceased   
student files, blocked access to your real student files, switched the DMV   
files-"  
"It's a non-issue anyway, Mina." Raye stopped her activity and turned to   
face her friend. "They got them somehow, and now they know who half of us are.   
It's time for damage control."  
In a move that "totally uncharacteristic" wouldn't even begin to describe,   
Mina stormed over and got right in Raye's face. "Well Raye, somewhere along   
the line someone screwed up, and NOW the Dark Kingdom has Luna and Artemis,   
and NOW our asses are in a sling. The ball's in their court now, and I would   
like to know just exactly when and where we lost possession."  
Raye gave it right back. "Who gives a fuck! What good is it to sit around   
and bitch when two of our friends, our GUARDIANS, are in serious trouble and   
we have a whole twenty four hours to draw up a plan of attack and save them?"  
"They don't even want them, don't you see that! They could give two   
shits about the Guardians; what they want it the goddamn crystal! And if we   
go into the Dark Kingdom bare-assed, we're not coming out of there!"  
Raye's mouth flopped open. "Are you suggesting that we stand around   
and LET them kill Luna and Artemis? Because if that's what your saying, O   
fearless leader, I'm not having any of it."  
Serena's mind opened like an ancient cavern. Fearless leader! I   
know now!   
"I'm not saying that, Raye. I'm saying they want to lure us in to   
get the crystal-"  
"So what if they get the crystal, Mina? So fucking what! If we stay   
her and twiddle our thumbs and say, 'Oh well, we're keeping the crystal   
safe, so everything's peachy keen,' they'll kill them! They'll kill their   
families!" She pointed at the guys. "Why should we wait around and let them   
ambush us?"   
"Well what do you want me to do, huh? If Metallia has the crystal,   
everyone's dead, do you understand this? Everyone! Everyone in the whole   
goddamn world! Raye, we can't go into the Dark Kingdom unprepared, they're   
waiting for us..."  
Raye was quaking with rage. "If you think I'm staying here and   
letting Luna and Artemis die because you're too overly cautious, you're   
dead wrong. I'll go to get them myself."  
Their bodies were pressed together, their faces inches apart, both   
wearing an expression of unwavering resolution. "You will do no such   
thing," Mina said softly, in another woman's voice. This conversation   
has happened before; I know it...   
Raye tilted her head; her eyes narrowed into slits. "Are you pulling   
rank on me?" Her voice was more accusing than incredulous. The room held   
its breath.   
Mina's eyes widened momentarily, then relaxed as she made her   
decision. "Yes."  
Raye slapped her across the face, hard.   
Lita and Matt were up in a second, showing themselves between the   
two girls. Lita pinned Raye's arms to her sides, but she couldn't stop   
the black-haired girl from spitting verbal fire. "I can't believe you, you   
cold-hearted bitch! What the hell is wrong with you? Lita, let fucking go   
of me!" She struggled in against Lita's forced bear hug.  
Mina vainly tried to maneuver around Matt's body. "I'm taking that   
as insubordination, Mars."   
"Yeah, well take it and shove it up your goddamn ass! I can't   
believe you're going to just STAND here and let them kill Artemis! For   
the love of God he's your goddamn mentor, Mina! Nice way to fucking repay   
him after all he's done for you!"  
Raye's handprint was pasted across Mina's face in a red fan. She   
stomped on Matt's foot, effectively breaking his hold on her elbows, and   
whirled around, disappearing out of the front door, slamming it behind her.   
Raye shouted after her.   
"Come over here and-"  
"STOP IT!" Serena had risen from her seat, and she screamed the command   
with tears in her eyes in throat. The room stilled. "STOP it STOP fighting!"   
They streamed freely down her face now, and she neither bothered to wipe  
them off or stop their flow. "Can't you see this is what she wants: dissention   
among ranks? We're in trouble this time, guys, and we need to pull together! We  
can't fight like this or we're going to lose everything, and believe me, we   
have everything to lose!"  
"She's right," Darien said softly, not usually one to get in the middle   
of chickfights lest he lose an eye or something. "We have to put our heads   
together and come up with a plan, otherwise, we're getting nowhere.  
We all want to save Luna and Artemis, we just have to think of a way   
how. We can't give up the crystal, that would be suicide, but we can't let   
them perish, either."   
Kevin started towards the door, but Serena held out one shaking arm and   
stopped him. "No, let me first. I have to talk to her." He nodded.   
Raye shrugged out of Lita's hold. "God, Lita, why don't you just get me   
in a headlock next time? You nearly broke my arms."   
"Because you were about to go after Mina; you were going to break her   
arms." Lita straightened out her shirt. "Don't get upset with her Raye, she's   
just doing her job. Someone has to make the tough decisions and think of the   
big picture, because you're obviously not."  
"Big picture my ass," Raye mumbled, momentously and silently admitting   
defeat. She slumped on the couch, stewing.   
Darien noticed that Jay had been sitting in near silence during the   
entire episode, a distraught look plastered across his normally sanguine mug.   
He sat down next to him. "Hey, man, chill. We won't let them hurt your families.   
They'll have to get through me and my endless supply of wussy roses first."  
Jay smiled wanly at Darien's attempt to cheer him up. "I know, I'm not   
worried about that-well, I am worried about that, but..." He swallowed. "Darien,   
I didn't want her to die! I mean; I wanted her to quit bothering me and   
following me around like a dog on a leash, but I-I didn't mean for her to die.   
She wasn't evil, or a criminal or anything. She's still a person, and she   
didn't deserve this. And it's because-" He had a hard time forming the words.   
"It's because of me. She thought it was me."   
"No," Darien said, shaking his head. "Jay, it's not your fault. You   
didn't have anything to do with her getting killed."   
"You're just saying that to make me feel better."   
"No I'm not!" Jay jumped, and Darien realized that he had inadvertently   
shouted, just as Mina had unintentionally raised her voice with Amy. "You're   
not responsible in any way for what happened to her. Don't forget whom we're   
dealing with; the Dark Kingdom is notorious for playing dirty, and if it   
wasn't her, they would have found someone else and extracted the information   
from them. Kristen was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was an   
accident."  
Jay weakly smiled, trying to recapture a shred of his previous optimism.   
"Did you have to say 'extracted' like that? Ex-TRACTED. They ex-TRACTED   
information." He settled back, his eyes focused on nothing, his mind racing   
with "what if's."   
Darien watched him mope; finally the concept of consequence had been driven   
into Jay's brain with a Craftsman power drill, and it would sit and hurt for   
a while, of that he had no doubt. But the sting would lessen, little by little,  
day by day, until only a scar remained.   
  
  
Mina wiped her nose wetly against her sleeve as she sniffed, tears   
running together in salty rills on her cheeks. Thank God I didn't wear   
any makeup, it would be all over the place. She heaved a sigh and stared   
back up at the sky, which was just starting to dim into a grayish watery blue,   
punctuated with the chalky moon, a white crayon circle pressed onto ancient   
grade-school construction paper. The breeze blew her hair out from her temples;   
she could smell a hint burnt-dorm smoke in the air.   
She was surprised that Raye hadn't spit in her face in her rage; she   
wouldn't put it past the loaded gun that was her best friend. Raye was right;   
how could she even think of leaving Artemis to fend for himself in the Dark   
Kingdom? Beryl had looked for a trump card, and she had found it, big time.   
We're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't. She was right too,   
of course. It would be suicide to barge in unprepared; Mina had seen that first.   
All Beryl, well, Metallia wanted was the crystal, she couldn't give two flying   
fucks about a bunch of girls and their cats. She had thought of the world first,   
of 6 billion people that would die or be enslaved, and not of her guardian, her   
mentor, the person (or cat) that had been like a third parent to her. He had   
listened to more of her problems and more of her complaints than all of the   
Senshi put together.   
And she hadn't even given him a second thought until Raye threw it in her   
face.   
The door creaked open behind her, stiff and old with rust, and Serena   
joined her on the roof. "Hi," she said, settling next to Mina, her elbows   
barely reaching the top of the wall.   
Mina said nothing. For a long moment, they stared out at the horizon,   
at the sun giving its final bow before retiring to the other side of the   
earth. The stars held their breath, waiting to emerge.   
Serena sighed and tried again. "Please don't be mad at Raye, you know   
how she is..."  
"I know," the taller blonde said mechanically. "I'm not mad at her,   
I'm mad at me."  
"Why?" Serena's voice remained gentle. Mina sniffed as fresh tears   
rained down.  
"Because she's right, Serena." She gasped, sobbing now. "The first   
thing I thought of when I heard Beryl's voice was of how I would die before   
I let her get the crystal, before I let her hurt you. I was willing to go to   
any extreme, even sacrificing someone I loved, just to keep this world safe.   
I thought of this town, and of this country, and of this whole damn world.   
I put six billion strangers before Luna and Artemis.  
And the whole time Raye was yelling at me, I...I knew she was right.   
What kind of person thinks that way? All I could think of was you, Serena,   
and how it's my duty to protect you. What if they had you instead of the   
guardians? You are the one I swore to protect, even if it meant laying down   
my miserable fucking life. Would I let them kill you if it meant saving the   
world?   
What's the right answer, Serena?"  
Serena hurriedly blinked away her own tears. Oh, Mother... "There   
is no right answer; there is no answer. I know you have a duty towards me,   
Mina, and I am eternally grateful for that. And I am grateful that you would   
let me go to save billions of innocents. I am grateful that you think of many   
and not just one, and am grateful that you don't follow orders blindly." She   
vigorously rubbed her eyes. "Mina, I know that I'm not a very good leader,   
because in truth, I am not a leader at all. You are."  
"I know. I think I knew all along, but I didn't want to usurp your   
authority."   
Serena smiled. "I'm new at it, Mina. There was never a Sailor Moon   
until now, and I'm still learning the ropes. And there won't be a Sailor   
Moon in the future."  
"It all comes back to me."  
"You bet," she giggled a little. "I remember you during the final   
battle.   
I wished I were as strong and as brave as you and the other Senshi.   
You four were larger than life, you were powerful; watching you fight was   
like watching a movie and believing what you saw on the screen. All I did   
was cry a lot and get killed."  
Mina cringed. Serena patted her on the arm. "Don't feel bad, please,   
we could have had a nuclear warhead and we still would have lost that battle."  
A thin breath escaped from her lips. "Serena, I know you're trying to   
make me feel better-"  
"No, Mina, I'm telling you the truth." She grabbed her friend and   
forced her around. "We need you right now, we need your authority. We need   
you to think with your head. Raye's the one who thinks with her heart; that's   
why she blew up at you. She is our emotion, you are our reason."  
Mina smiled a little. "And that is why she is second in command."  
"Darn right. And that's why you're first. You and Kevin make a good   
couple."  
She let her head drop against the wall as she groaned. "Oh, God that's   
another thing. He's disgusted with me; he couldn't believe that I would   
degrade myself like that on a national publication..."  
Serena rubbed her friend's back. "Oh, girl, would you relax? He's not   
disgusted with you; he's just jealous. It means he really loves you."  
"You're a fruitcake if you think that."   
"No, I remember! Remember all those painting and statues of you back   
in the day? The naked ones?"  
"Yes. Why must you bring those up?"  
"BEE-cause, Kunzite got all weirded out over those too, and they were  
religious icons! He's just being himself."  
"You do realize you are comparing the printed equivalent of 'The   
Man Show' with priceless works of art?"   
"It's all the same," Serena said dismissively. "He's just being   
typically male and insecure." She smiled. "Feel better?"  
"Yeah," Mina sniffed and wiped away residual tears. "You must think   
I'm some leader, huh? Bawling away when there's some serious leading to be   
done."   
Serena stretched out her arms and hugged her. "No, I think you're   
human. I think you're a soldier and a humanitarian at the same time. I   
think you're just as fallible as the rest of us."   
She squeezed her princess tighter. "Thank you, Serena. I'd die before   
I let her harm you."  
"I know." She paused. "Which one, the psycho bitch or the evil blob   
of Smuckers?"  
"Both," Mina admitted. "But I have a thousand year old grudge to   
settle with Beryl. After I waste her, then I'll make shoe polish out of   
the evil blob of Smuckers."   
  
  
Guilt had not totally escaped the Senshi of Fire. She had been glowering   
on the couch, absently watching the news report of the dorm fire with her   
arms crossed defensively across her chest, when she suddenly burst into tears.   
Jay, who had been submerged in his own personal funk, reached out and   
drew her into his arms. "Raye? What's the matter, hon?"  
Through strangled gasping, the two closest in proximity to her, Jay and   
Darien, heard only, "I suck."  
"You don't suck!" Jay assured her, rubbing the back of her head in what   
he thought was a reassuring manner. Truth be told, he was actually tangling up   
the black silk into a giant knot on her crown.  
She buried her face in her hands and sobbed through them. "Yes I do! I   
yelled at Mina just because she was right!"   
Amy handed her computer over to Zach and slid in next to Raye. "Raye,   
Mina knows that you didn't mean it, you were just upset over Luna and Artemis."  
"No, I-(hic) was just a bitch. She was right and I knew it and, and,   
and I just screamed at her! I-I even hit her! And she's my best friend!"  
Jay was completely floored; he had never seen Raye squirt even one tear,   
not even when drunk or depressed or when watching "Terms of Endearment." "So   
what? You were just worked up over the situation, and with all this shit going   
down, none of us are ourselves right now. All of our nerves are overworked."  
"You got that right," Matt said from the kitchen, chain-smoking his sixth   
Camel.   
"Raye," Jay's voice was low and serious. "Raye, look at me. Don't beat   
yourself up. You just got a little worked up because you're worried and upset   
and scared. Mina knows you didn't mean it. I mean, do you know how many times   
Kevin and I have hit each other over the years? If we made a big deal every time   
we threw a punch at each other, we wouldn't have been friends past junior high.   
We put it all behind us."  
"Except for the time you tried to hit me with a shovel."   
"That's because you-never mind! Raye, please stop crying. We'll beat this   
bitch, believe me, and then we can live normally again."   
Raye rubbed at her face and hiccupped, and let herself fall into Jay's   
embrace. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry everyone. I made such an ass out of myself."   
"No, making an ass of yourself is singing Bob Dylan drunk in a bar."   
Kevin's eyes widened. "You showed it to them, didn't you?" He cracked his   
knuckles and advanced towards the couch.  
Jay gulped. "Hey, babe, remember when I told you about how Kevin and I would   
fight? You're about to experience it firsthand."  
She smiled and stood up. "I have to talk to her. I'll be back."  
"Hey guys, look!" Lita said, fumbling for the remote control and raising the  
volume on the television. The skinny newscaster had pulled aside an unshaven,   
hulking, unibrowed ATO thug, and was in the process of interviewing.   
"YEAH! Yeah, and then, like, this weird thing just appeared after the   
fire was set, and I was like, 'No friggin' way!' Anyway, my brothers and I, we   
chased it down the block and we started like, hitting it with pieces of wood and   
stuff, and it started to like, die and stuff, so we went and ripped it arms off!   
We kicked its ass, man! WOO! YEAH! ATO BABY!!" The newscaster tried to retain   
some of his dignity while the newly ordained youma killer hollered in celebration.   
The camera moved and focused on what was obviously a dismembered youma, its arms   
and legs ripped off and its body on fire. Several ATOs were urinating on its   
corpse. "Look! I'm pissing on its ashes!"  
Lita's face fell. "No way! We were not just outdone by a couple of frat   
boys with two by fours!"  
Kevin shook his head. "Way to fucking go, Omegas."   
Jay chuckled. "Yeah, who knew those guys were good for something besides   
overturning cars and impregnating minors?"  
Raye rubbed her swollen eyes. "How many casualties?"  
"Don't know yet, hon," Lita frowned. "Let's just hope the number's low."  
Serena reappeared in the doorway. "What's going on?"  
"We've been going at this 'kill the baddies' the whole wrong way, Serena,"   
Matt explained, a cloud of gray smoke surrounding him in the kitchen. "Screw   
magic, what we need are boards with nails in them."  
  
  
"Mina?" She turned around; Raye was standing in the lighted doorway to the   
roof. The sky had turned from military-ish blue to a darker gray now, and the   
stars speckled their light across the horizon. "Can we talk?" Raye's eyes   
were red and puffy, and her hair had twisted into one gigantic tangle. Her   
hands and voice shook slightly, and the urge to scream at her and tell her   
off was fading as Mina saw how upset her friend was.   
"OK," she agreed. Raye joined her at the wall.   
They were silent for a few minutes, watching lights flick on in the   
windows of buildings, the acrid aroma of char still hanging in the air like   
a wet curtain. "Which one do you think will be next?" Mina asked, her voice   
barely a whisper. "Bedford?"  
"With our luck, Goshin," Raye smirked. "They'll start it in our room."  
"On my blue arden b. dress." Mina was smiling now. "Just because it's   
my favorite." They laughed quietly at the thought of the Dark Kingdom generals   
ransacking the room, throwing everything with a designer label in the center   
and pouring accelerant on it.   
"That's the good thing; they don't know who we are. Still." Mina picked   
at her cuticles.   
"They will. When Beryl's lying on the ground bleeding and gasping out   
her last breath, I'm going to stand over her charred ass and say, 'My name's   
Raye Hino, bitch. Hope hell's hot enough for you.'"   
Mina smiled again. "I have shit to settle with her, too. She knows it."  
They were silent again, lost deep in thought and memory, and never heard   
the footsteps that were padding up the stairs to the roof, squeaking slightly   
despite every attempt to be stealth.   
"Mina, listen," Raye started, choking back the tears that threatened   
her eyes again. "I-I had no right to go off on you that way. I was wrong;   
you were right, I know it, and it was totally not my place to even question   
your authority. You probably would have had me court-martialed back in the   
Silver Millennium."  
Mina didn't deny it. "Yep."   
"I know I was completely out of line, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lost   
my temper and I'm sorry I hit you. I'll understand if you don't want to have   
anything to do with me for a long, long time. All I can offer for an explanation   
is that I could only think of Luna and Artemis, and I'm just so scared and so   
angry that when you said that you had to think of the big picture..." Her   
voice trailed off, and she swallowed. "And it scares me to think that if   
anything ever happened to you, I would be stuck with the position. I couldn't   
do what you do, Mina; I would have been charging into the Dark Kingdom   
five minutes after I heard the answering machine and ten minutes before   
I got killed. You're the only one out of all of us who keeps her head,   
you know that? I was wrong to question your authority, and you had every   
right to pull rank on me.  
And I'm sorry I hit you." Raye dissolved into tears. "I mean, it's   
bad enough, no, it's catastrophic enough to hit your commanding officer in   
the face, but, you're my friend. I couldn't believe that I hit you out of   
stupid anger." Tears dripped off of her chin and hit the grayish cement wall.   
"I'm so sorry, Mina, you're my best friend, and I never meant to do that. If   
I could take it all back I would, in a second."  
Mina blinked out her own tears. "I'm not mad, Raye." Her voice quavered.   
"I need you to be the emotion for us. You keep me grounded; I didn't even   
think of the guardians until you brought it to my attention. I need you there   
to keep me somewhat human." She choked. "You're my best friend, Raye. If   
anyone understands this, it's you."  
"I do," Raye sobbed. "I know. I know what you go through, and I wish I   
could help instead of making everything worse."  
"You don't make it worse." They turned and embraced each other, both   
openly sobbing onto each other's shoulders. "You don't make it worse."  
"I'm sorry, Mina," Raye snuffled. "I love you."  
"I love you too, hon."   
"Oh God, please, for my sake, love each other." The voice broke them out   
of their hysterical crying, and they knocked each other's heads together with   
shock. Jay and Kevin were standing in the doorway, and had just witnessed   
the entire scene.  
"You were watching us all along?" Raye thundered, incredulous. "You   
ASS!"   
Jay feigned complete innocence better than a wife-beater wearing   
perp on "COPS". "Raye, if you feel the need to kiss your best friend,   
then please, by all means, feel free to do so. I promise I won't stand   
in your way, just give me a second to run down the street and borrow   
Gordon's camera again."   
Raye looked at him coolly, and then tried to jab him in the stomach   
with her fist. He caught it and swept her into his arms. "Feeling better?"  
"No! I can't believe you want my to kiss my best friend!"  
"It was Kevin's idea!"  
Kevin's look was of pure disbelief. "What?"  
"It was so! We were walking up the stairs and I distinctly remember   
you saying, 'I wonder if they'll kiss and make up.'"  
"I didn't mean it literally!" Mina hugged him.   
"Hey."  
"Hey." Why do we always start off conversations like this?   
"Everything ok?"  
She snuggled against his chest. "Yeah. For now."   
"What's next?"   
Her eyes flew open. "We get everyone up on the roof."  
  
***********  
  
Luna watched the light in Beryl's globe dim to a muted glow, and   
she tried to swallow away the lump of fear that had been building in her   
throat. She moved her paw to the left and touched it with Artemis's. He   
looked over at her touch and shook his head, his eyes worn and sad.   
Beryl sat back in her throne, disappointed that she had reached an   
answering machine instead of the real thing. She had been hoping to deliver   
her message firsthand, and had been anticipating the pleas of mercy and   
desperate bargaining that would undoubtedly follow. Instead, she was   
expected to leave a message, just like some punk kid or telephone solicitor,   
like a common insignificant human and not the most powerful being in the   
Dark Kingdom.   
The cats had been imprisoned in an energy bubble against the wall   
closest to the throne. Luna's head buzzed, her shoulders slumped, her body   
still throbbing with a thousand pinpricks. Beryl had tortured them for hours   
before she realized that it was useless; the Mau cats would rather be   
plucked bald and roasted over an open fire before giving up the identity   
of the Moon Princess. She had to settle for half-draining them of their   
remaining energy and leaving an electronic ransom note.   
They had no choice to listen to Beryl deliver her threat, and Luna   
found herself in tears when she threatened their families. She had seen   
Beryl's globe, had seen Endymion's generals' families carrying on their   
daily business, unaware that they were being observed by a witch who was   
using them as pawns in a fatal game.  
Beryl leaned back and closed her eyes, her hands drifting up to her  
forehead. Luna was surprised to see that, with her yellow eyes shut and   
her teeth unbared, she looked very human. And very young.  
"Artemis?" her voice was so low that no one but a cat could pick up   
the slight sound waves. "How old was Beryl before she became Metallia's   
servant?"  
Artemis thought for a second as he dusted off his mental catalogue.   
"Oh, well, I would say...about twenty? Around there?"   
Luna's breath came out in a whistle. "She was young. I keep forgetting   
that she was just a girl then, too."  
Artemis's whisper was sharp. "Luna, this is Beryl we're talking about.   
She's basically responsible for the fall of the Moon Kingdom and for millions   
of lives, have you forgotten that? So don't kid yourself and feel sorry for   
her!"  
She threw him a look. "I'm not saying I feel sorry for her, I'm just   
saying that she was very impressionable when Metallia got a hold of her. I'm   
not sure she knew what she was getting into. She reminds me of that girl that   
follows Jay around."  
"Well, our girls were just a bit younger, and they helped run the Moon   
Kingdom!"  
"That's because they were raised that way, Artemis! Do we even know   
where Beryl is from? Who her parents were? Where she was raised?"  
"Wait, hold on." He thought, hard. "I don't remember. I know that she   
lived in or around the Earth Palace, but other than that, nothing. I think   
Endymion would know if we asked him."   
"A bit of good that does us," Luna said, settling back down onto the   
stone floor, wary of her aching head. Her eyes were halfway closed when a   
glint of light caught her eye, and she jumped up, her body roaring in pain,   
and knocked Artemis to the floor. He gave a grunt of protest.   
"Oh," she breathed, as Beryl's tear caught the light from her globe as   
it ran down her cheek. She garnered what little courage she had left and   
stood. "Beryl."  
Beryl's eyes flew open, flat and yellow, astonished that her prisoner   
actually had the spine to address her. She stood from her throne and advanced   
on the cats. "Do you have something you'd like to share, cat? The identity   
of the Moon Princess, for one?"   
Luna gulped as Beryl stood above her, seemingly impossibly tall and   
intimidating. "No, no that's not it."  
"Then do not waste my time." She turned her back on them.   
"No, wait," Luna tried again, even though a voice in the back of her   
head was pleading for her to hold her tongue. Not to mention Artemis swiping   
at her with his paw every four seconds. Beryl turned.  
"You don't want to do this, Beryl. You aren't this monster that   
Metallia turned you into."  
Beryl cocked her head. "Talk about the Queen that way again, cat,   
and I will kill you."  
"Luna, stop!" Artemis hissed. She ignored him.  
"Why, Beryl? Why did you join forces with Metallia in the first   
place? What did she promise you?"  
Beryl's growing anger suddenly waned and her eyes grew cloudy and   
distant. When she spoke, Luna knew that she wasn't talking to an evil   
queen of the Dark Kingdom. Beryl the twenty-year old noble was talking   
to them; a very little fish in the very big pond. Her next words registered   
barely above a whisper.  
"She promised me Endymion."  
Luna froze, unsure of where to venture next, but Beryl kept talking.   
"She promised me that once the little Moon Princess was out of the picture,   
Endymion would be mine. Do you know how long I've loved him, cat? Years.   
Every day of my life I would try to catch a glimpse of him, somehow, somewhere,   
just so that the day wouldn't be a complete waste. I would lie awake at night,   
thinking of him, wishing that one day he would look my way, acknowledge me,  
give me something to look forward to, some shred of hope.  
But his generals showed him how to break the travel embargo and sneak   
off to the moon, and then he met HER. They really thought no one knew, but   
I did. He taught her to sneak onto the Earth, and she would come down at least   
once a week." She laughed to herself. "She was so...young, and so foolish,   
she thought no one would notice an obviously Magic Person wandering around   
the gardens in the dead of night. How could she love him?" Luna had no response.   
"She didn't grow up with him like I did! She didn't love him for years,   
waiting patiently for the day when he would realize that I had been in front   
of him the entire time! She was only fourteen, fifteen years old! She was a   
baby! She couldn't understand what love was, how it felt to care about someone   
so deeply that you would sell your soul just to be near him!" She wiped away   
the tears that sprang from her eyes.   
"Metallia promised me his love. She said he would only love a Magic   
Person, and that she would make me one. I thought I knew sorcery then, how   
foolish! The only people that could perform sorcery were Magic Persons, and   
they all lived on the moon! Selene kept them there so they wouldn't teach   
the common people magic, so they could rule above the earth, superior to   
the rest of us!"  
"No!" Luna exclaimed, her memories flooding back. "You've got it all   
wrong! Selene escaped with them to the moon because they were being executed   
on Earth! They had nowhere else to go!"  
"Only Sailor Venus was suspicious," Beryl continued, ignoring Luna's   
outburst. "She was the one who would retrieve the idiot Moon Princess every   
time Serenity found her missing, and she would stand there and question me   
like I was afraid of her. Me, with Metallia on my side! Others worshipped   
her and the others, but I did not. I tore that picture of her from the   
wall and slashed it to ribbons."  
"Metallia promised you Endymion, and she promised you magic," Luna   
said, her voice thin and tired. "But where is it, Beryl? Endymion isn't yours   
any more now then he was back then, and you're not a Magic Person. The only   
way you can keep your powers is if you drain the energy of humans, and when   
they run out, so do you. Metallia didn't make you a true Magic Person. Your   
eyes don't even reflect."  
Beryl was quiet for a minute. Her face was relaxed, and for a moment   
Luna almost thought that she had broken through. "You may have your own idea   
of what is fair and just, but tell me this: was it fair that others were born   
with the power that I could only dream of? Out of the billions of people on   
Earth, only a mere handful was born Magic Persons. And how many of them came   
out of hiding and were magically active? Four. And only because they were   
forced to. This is something I've waited for my...entire...life."  
Her face hardened back into the inhumane mask Luna was used to seeing;   
she backed away from Beryl until her back was pressed against the wall.   
"Nothing will convince me otherwise," she hissed, her eyes narrowing. "I've   
waited too long." And with that, she turned on her heel and left the throne   
room, leaving the two cats with runaway questions clogging their heads.  
Artemis lowered his head, confused. "Venus knew Beryl? I didn't even   
know who she was until she attacked the Moon Kingdom."  
"Venus was the only one who would retrieve the Princess," Luna explained.   
"The other Senshi, well, they either didn't know how or didn't want to go.   
I can't imagine Mercury breaking all those laws and wandering to Earth, not   
even for Zoicite." Little did Luna know, but Mercury and the others had   
journeyed to the Earth on several occasions, throwing caution and all of   
the laws to the wind for the opportunity to trudge in the crunchy, newly-fallen   
snow around Stonehenge. Or to run her fingertips on the piece-y patchwork   
bark of an ancient redwood. Or to touch one red-dusted toe to the pool   
water in front of the Taj Mahal. Or to burn her skin flame-red under the   
beating sun while running into the blue ocean water.   
  
  
************  
  
"Why didn't we ever have parties up here?" Matt shoved the roof's   
door open. "There's lots of room, electrical outlets, and no chance of reeking   
up our kitchen with mary jane."  
"You forgot to factor in the ten billion exposed nails," Zach observed,   
kicking the toe of his Nike against a row of vicious-looking nails poking   
point-up through the worn tarpaper. The nails went on for rows, covering   
at least half of the floor area of the roof. Mina was genuinely surprised   
that she hadn't cut her feet to ribbons when she retreated to the roof.   
Serena gingerly stepped along the narrow aisles of bare tarpaper   
making her way to the edge. "Wow, Mina, we're pretty lucky that we didn't   
step on any of these."  
"You're telling me." She stuck her leg out to step on a clear area,   
her body stretched out like she was playing Twister.  
Darien groaned and kicked at the nails. "So now what are we going to   
do?"  
"Find the tool who designed this roof to keep people off and kick   
his ass."   
Darien smirked at Matt's simple explanation. "Let's think in the   
present."   
Zach tugged at the end of the paper. "Do you think we could pull it   
all up?" The black sheet ripped in his hand. "Aw, damn."  
"Wait." Amy gave them a sheepish smile as she tapped away. "I think   
I have a better idea."   
"As long as it doesn't involve back-breaking labor, I'm all for it."  
There was no sweat to be sprouted, just Sailor Jupiter turning the   
metal door into a giant electromagnet, sending hundreds of iron nails   
flying through the air like mere filings and clanging against the door   
with a satisfying "CLONK." The surface now cleared of anything metal and   
pokey, they dealt for partners with Matt's deck of cards and transformed.   
"Look at them go." Sailor Moon leaned idly against the wall as she   
spoke to Mercury, waiting for her turn to spar with Nephrite, an event   
that she was not particularly looking forward to. Sailor Venus and Jadeite   
were dueling, Venus with the peculiar sword they had found on the moon.   
She was also able to switch from her left hand to right effortlessly, and   
they tangled and turned like two people dancing.  
"Right," Jadeite said, deflecting several of Venus's blows before   
switching hands. "Left."   
She switched to compensate. "Right!" Venus was laughing despite   
every intention of staying serious. Jadeite had taken to throwing his   
sword up in the air and catching it with his opposite hand, all the time   
with a challenging smile on his face. Not one to be outdone, she mirrored   
him almost exactly until it became less of a fight than of a halftime   
sideshow contest of who could switch hands the fastest and most frequently.   
"Left! Come on Venus, show me what you got!"  
"Right!" she yelled, and the swords sailed skyward.   
"C'mon, Venus, he's nothing!" Zoicite called gleefully, impressed.   
This was the best fight he had seen outside of Pay Per View and BU hockey   
games.   
Kunzite groaned. "This is getting out of hand."  
"Leftbehindtheback!" Jadeite caught the handle with his left arm   
twisted behind his back, and whipped it around in what even Venus would   
admit was a cool move. She copied and then announced:  
"Right behind the back!" Soon they were switching hands and tossing   
swords behind their back almost in synchronization.   
"I'd try left between the legs, but I'm kind of chickenshit about   
that area," Jadeite said, spinning and jabbing.   
In the end, it was Venus's shoes that ended the fight. Her left   
heel caught under a stray sheet of tarpaper, and she collapsed forward   
onto her opponent, who caught her inches before her nose slammed onto   
the concrete.   
"I win by knockout!" he proclaimed. Venus picked herself up,   
incredulous.  
"That's bullshit! My heel got caught!"   
"Hey, did I tell you to wear do-me shoes?"  
She tossed her sword to Sailor Moon and fixed her bow. "OK,   
everyone, that was just for fun. Now let's get serious." Sailor Moon   
gulped. "Yes, you're next."  
"Oh, crap," she mumbled, her voice as jittery as her knees. Nephrite   
pulled out his sword and started swinging it in perfect circles while   
imitating Mills Lane.  
"C'mon, Sailor Moon, let's get it on!"  
The fights went on until a little past midnight, the stars out   
in their full blinking glory as they surrounded the full moon. Jupiter   
yawned loudly.   
"How long have we been out here?" The stars had moved. Nephrite   
rubbed one of her arms, his eyes cast to the sky. They were practically   
screaming "DANGER DANGER DANGER" like the lights of a cheap roadside   
diner sign, obliterating whatever message was hidden underneath. He   
chewed on his lower lip and wished for a Camel.   
"Couple hours. Damn it."  
"What's wrong?" She touched his arm.  
"Nothing. Something. They're trying to tell me something, but   
I can't figure it out because the ones in front will JUST NOT SHUT UP!"   
They obediently blinked off when he screamed, like a cheap electric   
Christmas toy freezes when one yanks out its Duracell double A's. Nephrite   
blinked several times in shock, himself being the only witness to the   
unusual turn of events.   
"Well, damn."  
"What happened?" Kunzite asked, holding up one hand to halt the   
fight with Zoicite.   
Everyone's eyes were on Nephrite as he leaned back trying to   
take in more of the sky than just what his human eyes could see.   
"Prince Endymion?"  
Tuxedo Mask was startled to hear his friend refer to him with   
such formality, and was thrown for a definite loop. "Uh, yeah?"  
Nephrite leaned so far back he almost fell backwards. "You have   
another transformation."  
"Yeah, I know. I can transform into Endymion. Where are you   
going with this?"  
He straightened. "Maybe you'd better do it."  
Tuxedo Mask cocked his head. "Now?" Nephrite's attention was   
back to the sky.  
"'The key is in the Moon.' Yeah, you already told me that. What   
the hell does it mean?"   
It took Tuxedo Mask a few minutes to realize that Nephrite wasn't   
talking to him.   
"Could you be a little more specific? OK, fine, stay vague, we'll   
just get our asses kicked. Whatever! You guys also said Arizona State  
was going to win that last one!" He snapped his head back, disgusted.   
"Yo, Tux, would you please up the ante now?"  
"Sure." He closed his eyes, and touched a part of his mind that   
usually remained dormant save for several special situations. Endymion   
was there, even though he had died a thousand years ago; he lived on   
in Darien, and waited patiently to emerge into being again.  
He opened his eyes to see all four of his Generals kneeling   
before him. He cringed, his face reddening.   
"Oh for the love of God would you get the hell up? Life's too   
short for this shit!"  
Jadeite rose slowly, staring at Endymion's black and navy armor.   
"Uh, yeah, why the hell did I just do that?"   
"It felt right," Zoicite simply explained.   
Sailor Moon squirmed uncomfortably. "Yeah, well something still   
doesn't feel right. Maybe we better practice some more."  
Endymion pulled out his sword, his eyes blazing like blue flame.   
A familiar rush entered his body, swarming every cell to capacity. His   
gaze settled on Kunzite. "Yeah, let's."   
Kunzite barely smiled, but his eyes were burning too. "Let's   
see if you can score on me when I'm not zoned out."   
Ignoring the fight, Sailor Moon wandered to a far corner of   
his roof, partially hidden behind the nail-studded door. She gazed   
out at the town below, the wind picking up her blond pigtails and   
tossing them around her flawless face. Mother?   
Serenity smiled down at her daughter. Yes, my darling?   
I'm scared, Mother. I don't know if everyone's coming back   
from this. And I'm afraid that I'll mess up. She fingered the   
crystal on her chest with one nervous finger.   
My dear, you know what to do. I've showed you how to use the   
crystal, and I'm confident you'll come through.   
She giggled nervously. I'm not so confident. Mother?   
Yes?   
Why didn't you wish for your life back?   
The question hung suspended in the air, through currents of time.   
Finally, the Queen spoke. I was too weak; I expended almost all of   
my energy to seal away Metallia and the rest of the Dark Kingdom. I   
could have wished you and Endymion back, and myself, and the others,   
but what about the rest of the Earth? What about the People of the   
Moon? And what good would it have done? We would come back to a   
desolate Earth, an annihilated Moon. We couldn't possibly even rebuild   
the palace, much less a planet and a satellite.   
Sailor Moon nodded, glancing behind her back at her friends   
and her protectors. I wish I had their confidence. Their lives rest   
in my hands, and all I hope is that I can come through for them.   
You will, my dear. I believe in you. Unseen, she kissed   
her daughter's forehead. I love you, Serenity. You've made me so   
proud of you. I'm honored to have you as my daughter.   
I love you too Mother. I will not disappoint you.   
"Hey." She swiveled around, startled at the sound. Sailor   
Jupiter stepped out of the shadows. "You OK?"  
"Yes, I was just..." Her voice trailed off.   
"Getting in some down time? I know. I'm all wound up too."   
The taller girl rubbed her fist. "All I want to do is make them   
pay, Sailor Moon. I want to hurt them the way they hurt Luna and   
Artemis, the way they hurt innocents, and the way they hurt us. Do you   
know how many times I skipped my eight o'clock because I couldn't drag   
my bruised-up ass out of bed?  
You ready? Venus and Kunzite think we're done for the night;   
we're all going to turn in. You staying at Darien's?"   
"Yes. I-" She looked at her friend, strong and brave and beautiful,   
unwavering in her resolution of retribution. "Never mind, Jupiter. Go   
be with Nephrite. Make your time together count."  
She smiled. "I will, Princess."  
  
***********  
  
Raye cried again that night.   
Jay simply held her against his chest, stroking her hair and letting   
her sob into his shoulder until her body temporarily exhausted itself   
of the grief that had been holding her hostage. He said nothing.   
"Oh, Goddess," she breathed into his neck.   
"What can I do, Raye?" he asked softly, trailing one hand over   
her shoulder blades and down over the smooth white skin of her back.   
She pressed her body tighter against his, nestling in the pocket of heat   
that they had created. Her hair ran over her throat and breasts like a   
black river. She squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her embrace around   
his neck.  
"Nothing. Just be with me." She kissed his hair, his forehead, his   
face, his lips. Their bodies spooned and joined together.   
His voice was hoarse. "I would never leave."  
  
***********  
  
  
Lita bit her nails compulsively, tears from nervousness and the   
stinging cloud of cigarette smoke running out of her eyes. "Give me that."  
"Huh?" She plucked the Camel out of his fingers and stuffed it into   
an empty Coke can on the bedside table.   
"You're not supposed to smoke in bed, anyway," she choked between   
sobs, rubbing the end of the sheet against her swollen eyes. "You could   
fall asleep and then your bed will catch fire. And then-"  
"Hey." He rubbed her lower back and backside gently, and buried   
his face in her downy curls. "Don't cry." He pulled her body closer to   
his.   
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying, I'm just a little upset,   
and nervous, and-" She took his hand and held it in hers against her   
chest. "And I love you so much it's making me crazy."   
He turned her over so she was facing him. In the dark, they could   
only see the glint off of each other's eyes. "I love you. I have forever."  
  
***********  
  
Zach had confiscated Amy's Palm Pilot and locked it away in his   
hidden pocket; otherwise, she would still be entering lines of data,   
trying to solve all of their problems with one swift keystroke. Her   
PC was unplugged and the cords severed; he had promised to repair it   
first thing in the morning.   
They lay in bed together, their hands clasped together, every   
breath and heartbeat synchronized. Neither spoke. The edges of time   
blurred in the silence, their bodies melded together into one being.   
Zach raised her hand to his face and kissed it, inhaling the scent   
of her skin while tracing her knuckles with his lips.  
She let her eyelids flutter shut.   
  
***********  
  
She had lost track of how long they had been awake.   
They had mulled over every plan and possibility, their minds   
growing wearier and number with each passing hour, until it seemed   
they had a solution to every problem in the world from overpopulation   
to campaign finance reform. Now they simply lay awake together, wondering   
how silence could seem so loud.   
She stretched out on the bed and idly touched her face with   
one hand, letting the dim light from the streetlamps flow across   
her naked body like liquid heat. He stared at her, unblinking, his   
memory referencing what his mind forgot. He had seen her before, on   
oil on canvas and in blocks of white marble, a goddess, an icon.   
He reached out and touched her to make sure she was still flesh and blood.   
She smiled at his touch, and sat up halfway, reaching out to   
touch his face.   
  
***********  
  
Serena, standing at the window, bathed in moonlight, positively   
glowed with internal radiance. Darien slid off the bed and joined her,   
hugging her from behind.   
"I just saw a shooting star," she whispered, her hair seeming as   
light as her body. She was one continuous line of silver. "Make a wish."  
He did, pouring every ounce of his being into the wish, bending   
his mind with the effort. Every ion in his body raised its voice to   
the skies and prayed, voices joining together in a biological choir   
of hope. He jumped when she reached back and took his hand.   
"I made the same wish."   
  
  



	12. 12

  
Part 12  
****************************************************************************  
Oh man, i really wanted to get the ending out all at once, but once part 12  
hit 42 pages, i had to break it into two parts. *sniff!* so here's up to page   
24. thanks to everyone who emailed me.   
  
ATTENTION! i have a new email address: Joyfulgirl129@@aol.com thanks!  
I don't own Sailor Moon or any brand name.  
  
oh and on another note, please don't rip off my ideas. Thanks.   
  
Oh and one last thing, i apologize to anyone reading this on ff.net about  
the crappy formatting. I STILL haven't figured out how to fix it. Hey, if   
anyone does know give me a buzz.   
  
  
  
And we're off…  
  
  
  
"Everything has fallen to pieces  
Earth is dying help me Jesus."  
-Blink 182   
"Anthem Part Two"  
  
  
  
Serena pushed the door open without knocking. "Hello?"  
"Hey, Serena," Amy answered, not once looking up from her Palm Pilot. A   
tangle of black and gray wires snaked under the coffee table and behind the   
television, which was broadcasting an official report from the university regarding   
the dorm fire, which had claimed the lives of three students.   
Matt and Kevin were shooting an abysmal game of pool; their concentration   
was shot to shit, evidenced by the numerous balls still peppering the scarred   
felt as opposed to those in the pockets. Jay sat between Raye and Lita on the   
couch, strumming on his guitar what sounded like, "Jane Says." Mina was softly   
singing along from her position on the floor.   
"Oh hi, we were waiting for you," Mina said, raising herself into a sitting   
position. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and her nails were raw   
and bleeding from nervous biting. "We might have actually gotten somewhere,   
believe it or not. Amy?"  
Amy waved them over. "Here you guys, look at this." She tapped a few keys,   
and switched the television from CSPAN to a projected view of her screen. "Ever  
since we've arrived in America, I've been trying to find doorways into the Negaverse."  
"Dark Kingdom," Zach interrupted from the kitchen, where he was frying up   
Steak-Ums. "They get really pissed if you call it 'the Negaverse.'"  
"Zach, who gives a fuck? Fuck 'em." Matt said, sinking his first solid in   
a corner pocket.   
Amy continued before a squabble could erupt. "Anyway, I never found even   
a trace of one before, anywhere, and now, look." A map of Bryce University   
popped up, with green blinking dots scattered in several places. "These doorways   
suddenly popped up overnight."  
"Huh," Darien grunted, studying the map. "There's one on the entrance   
to the stadium, another in the library, two on Graduate Ave…"  
"Very detectable and very convenient," Kevin said, lining up a shot.   
"What better way to trap us then to leave the welcome mat unrolled?"  
"I'd bet my life savings that the minute we enter from one of these   
places, we'd get ambushed," Mina proclaimed, popping open her Sam's Choice   
orange soda. "A fourth grader could have figured that out."  
"That's why she left open this one," Amy explained, pointing to one on   
the outskirts of town. "This one has a weaker signature than the others, so   
I deduced that the main points are simply decoys. Beryl knew that we're too   
smart to walk blindly into one of her traps, so she opened a barely-detectable   
entrance at this location. She's planning on us taking the road less traveled.  
Of course, I don't think Beryl planned on this," she said, hitting a   
key. A map of the world popped up. "In opening all of these doorways, Beryl   
expended a great deal of negative energy, and when you use dark magic, it   
kind of…leaves residue."  
"What?" Raye asked, confused.   
Amy blinked. "Think of it like a car. Dark energy gives off exhaust,   
like a car gives off exhaust from burning gasoline. All of Beryl's exhaust-"   
Matt and Zach snickered. "-ended up permeating the earth…there." An orange   
arrow appeared, pointing at the top of the world where Santa Claus lived.  
"The North Pole? You're kidding!" Darien shut his eyes and rubbed his   
face in exasperation. "Are you sure we can get in that way?"   
Amy nodded. "Beryl is using up all of her energy at the main points,   
so she must have all of her concentration directed there. I doubt that she's   
noticing where her exhaust goes."  
"Or it's a huge trap," Lita groaned.   
"We'll have to take that chance," Mina said softly. "This is our best   
bet."  
Jay put his guitar down and stood up. "All right. Where are the yellow   
pages? I'll call Delta."  
"No!" Lita burst out.   
"Ok, fine, I'll call Greyhound."  
"No, that's not what I mean. We can teleport there."  
Jay gave her a look. "Are you sure? I mean, just by experience and   
process of elimination, I know that I'm going to be the one who teleports   
into the middle of the Sahara or the Atlantic Ocean or something."  
"We'll make sure you don't," Serena reassured him.   
"Do we have a plan once we're in there?" Darien asked. Mina smiled.   
"I got that, thanks to my awesome brainpower and Kev's photographic  
memory." She proceeded to explain, while Amy wandered off to the kitchen.   
"Cheese on yours?" Zach asked, spreading buns out on paper plates.   
"No, thank you, I can taste the grease from here. Is everything OK?"  
"No."  
"No, I-I meant at h-home," Amy stammered, her palms starting to   
sweat. She had remembered the message that Nana had left, and, despite   
her best efforts to mind her own business, it had been bugging her for   
over twelve hours.   
"Oh, yeah, everything's fine." The enthusiasm in his voice was   
obviously faked. He pulled open the dishwasher and stopped.   
"What's the matter?"   
"I-" He stopped and stared at the grungy plates and cups like it   
was the tombstone of his best friend. "I don't know. I mean; I could wash   
these dishes, right? I do it every day so we'll have something to eat off   
of the next morning, obviously. But like-" He faltered again. "What if   
none of us come back? I know I should be all optimistic and everything,   
and 'Yeah! We'll kick ass and take names!' but I know what we're up against,   
and you know too. So what's the point of washing these dishes if we might   
not ever use them again? If you think about it on a grand cosmic scale,   
turning on the stupid dishwasher is just about the most insignificant   
thing one could do right before going into a battle. I'm getting ahead   
of myself by thinking we're all going to come out-"  
Never taking her eyes off of his, Amy kicked the dishwasher shut   
and punched the button. It whirred to life. "Has anyone ever told you that   
you analyze things to death?"  
"A few times," he admitted, then added: "A day."  
She reached out and hugged him, reassuring his body the way she   
wished to do with his mind. He put down the spatula and wrapped his   
arms around her, pressing his cheek to hers. They stood in silence,   
taking comfort in their embrace.  
"Yo, can we get some Steak-Ums in here?" Jay broke through the   
sentimental moment before it had a chance to fully develop.  
The Steak-Ums were devoured in way too short a time, and after   
all the mouths were wiped and cans were cleared, everyone stopped and   
looked at each other.   
"Well, this is it, you guys," Serena started, almost choking up.   
"If you're going to give a big, flowery speech right now about   
how much we mean to you and how close we all are and how no matter what   
happens we'll all be friends forever, please skip it. You'll just jinx   
us."  
"Yeah," Matt nodded, agreeing with Jay. "Let's think of this as   
just another obstacle, and not just a…a…"  
"Heinous deathtrap?"  
"You know what I love about you, Raye? Your undying optimism."  
She shrugged. "I try."   
Lita caught herself raising her hand. "What about the campus?   
Knowing Beryl, she'd deploy a youma attack as soon as we landed on a   
stray penguin in the pole."   
Her question was answered in the form of pounding feet in the   
hallway, and a frantic thumping on their door. Kevin answered it.   
The hallway was clogged with guys, two of whom were Musto and   
John, and each one was equipped with a baseball bat or other heavy   
piece of weapon-like material. "Hey, Belles, one of those weird monsters   
landed in middle of the street. We're going to go kick its ass, wanna   
come?" Musto, the speaker, stuck his head through the door. "Hey   
Melman! Hey Chiba! Care to join?"  
"Um, I think we'll pass," Kevin said, eyeing the lead pipe Musto   
was twirling in his hands. "You sure you can take care of it?"  
"Fuck yeah, man! We're going to beat its fuckin' head in! You   
sure you don't want in?" Kevin shook his head. "OK, then, your loss.   
See ya later, ladies!" He winked at Serena, despite the fact that   
Darien was standing less than five feet away, and took off with his   
posse. The newly formed militia exited down the staircase.   
"What a dick," Darien mumbled, after the door was closed.   
"You guys," Mina said from the window. "Come here, you've got   
to see this!"  
They crowded around, trying to catch a glimpse of the scene   
below. Darien solved the overcrowding problem by opening the window   
and letting everyone spill out onto the fire escape.  
"Dude, that's just a small one!" Zach breathed. The youma holding   
up traffic in the middle of Boris St. was about the size of large   
cow, and was striped like a yellow jacket. Diaphanous insect wings   
sprouted from its shoulders, and, as they watched, Musto hit one with   
his metal pipe and tore it from the youma's body. It screeched in   
pain. A dozen more guys zeroed in, ruthlessly beating down the youma  
until it was cowering on its knees.  
"Looks like it's Whacking Day," Jay quipped, forgetting that not   
everyone was an avid viewer of "The Simpsons."   
Lita was amazed. "They are kicking its ass! I didn't think that  
those guys had enough brains to play kick the can!"  
"Makes you feel real important, doesn't it?" Mina said cynically.  
"We're the defenders of love and justice, righting wrongs and triumphing   
over evil, bestowed with cosmic powers of our mother planets, and   
we're being upstaged by a bunch of guys with baseball bats."   
"Well, at least everyone came out to watch," Raye said, pointing   
to the heads poking out of windows in the buildings across the street.   
Several objects began flying out of windows as occupants decided   
to help out by pelting the street with empty liquor bottles.   
Kevin turned and crawled back through the window. "I think   
we're leaving the place in good hands."  
Matt and Jay lingered behind on the fire escape. "WHOA! Kev,   
you missed it! I think Tony Garrel just threw his old, shitty couch   
out the window!" Jay leaned over the railing and continued to shout.   
"YO TONE! DIDJA HIT IT?"  
"YEAH!" came the enthusiastic reply. Raye reached through the   
window and dragged Jay in by his shirt.   
Serena dusted herself off and pulled out her crystal. "OK, since   
we're not going to exchange pleasantries because JAY thinks it'll   
JINX us, let's just get this over with."   
"C'mon, quit being so negative," Lita pleaded as Serena   
transformed in a shower of pink light. She pulled out her henshin   
pen. "We'll be back before Letterman's Top Ten."  
"I hope so," Sailor Moon muttered.   
The guys pulled out their white gloves. "God, I hate these   
things," Zach muttered. "Whose great idea was it to wear them in   
the first place? Did our jobs require running our fingers over   
furniture?" He pulled it onto his right hand and transformed in a   
cloud of silver.   
"Maybe we were bellhops," Kunzite offered.   
Nephrite elbowed Endymion in the ribs. "Maybe we were gay…oh   
wait, that was just you guys."  
Jadeite helped out by coughing the word "buttsex." Zoicite   
punched him in the stomach. "Hey, don't get all violent just because   
I'm telling the truth."   
"I'm not gay!"  
"Zoicite, I know you're not gay, would you relax? I just find   
it extremely amusing that your evil twin just happens to be-"  
"I wonder why that is, too," Sailor Mercury interrupted. "I   
thought they weren't created to think."  
Zoicite shrugged. "They weren't."  
"Maybe it's because Kunzite is an ALPHA male," Jadeite laughed.   
Kunzite glared at him. "You're going to be a negative male if   
you don't shut up."  
To her utter disgust, Sailor Venus found herself clapping like   
a schoolteacher. "OK, everyone, let the immaturity leave the room   
now. Are we ready?"  
They glanced at each other, relishing the few moments of relative   
normalcy that they had left. "Ready as we'll ever be," Jupiter said.  
"Ready?" Sailor Moon took Nephrite and Kunzite's hands. "Senshi,   
put a General in between each of you. They're not too good at this   
yet."  
"Sounds kinky," Zoicite said, joining the circle between Mars   
and Jupiter.   
"PLEASE make sure I don't end up somewhere weird," Jadeite begged,   
imagining himself suddenly appearing in the middle of the Running of   
the Bulls, or the New York Stock Exchange, or the Daytona 500.   
"We won't, I promise," Venus assured him. "Everyone ready?   
Concentrate."   
They closed their eyes and let their energy flow into each other,   
through each other's bodies and minds, where it combined into force   
powerful enough to flicker the lights for the next three blocks down.   
Their bodies hummed with the magic flowing through them, old magic,   
powerful as a comet hurtling through the abyss of space. It built   
and built, faster and harder, into a violent crescendo that swept   
away their bodies in a burst of light.   
  
************  
  
"Holy FUCK!" Sailor Jupiter swore, wrapping her arms around her   
body in a desperate effort to keep her skin from windburning.  
Kunzite immediately began shivering; the cold was something his   
California body was not accustomed to. However, this type of cold was   
something that would shock the average Anchorage body; it was cold   
that pierced through your clothing like it was tissue paper, burning   
as it froze the water in your epidermis and ruptured the delicate   
skin cells.   
"Oh shit," Nephrite muttered, his lips blue. "We're going to   
freeze to death."   
Sailor Venus squeezed her eyes shut to keep her tears from freezing.   
Nephrite was right; five more minutes of exposure and they would succumb   
to hypothermia, and then most definitely die. I'm such a fool. Why   
didn't I think of this before?   
Only Sailor Mercury was unaffected. "Oh no!" She held up her   
palm, and a glittering ball of blue and white energy formed between   
her fingers. "Quick, everyone, touch this!"   
Zoicite stumbled over and touched it. Instantly he felt his body   
warm rapidly, until the piercing wind felt like a tropical wind blowing   
off the Caribbean and caressing his face. "Mercury, have I told you   
I love you recently?"  
"Yes," she replied happily, running over to each Senshi and   
General in turn. "But you can say it again."   
Jadeite stopped gasping as his skin relaxed out of rigid   
goosebumps. "I love you too, Mercury." He helped Mars stand up.   
Sailor Venus scanned the frozen landscape. The sunlight   
reflecting off of the white ice threw up a glare that almost fried   
her retinas. Nephrite had clapped his hands over his eyes, groaning   
in pain. "Everything OK, Neph?"  
"That light really hurts," he said simply. "It's like staring   
directly into the sun."  
Endymion squinted; the glare was a little overpowering, but   
not nearly as painful as Nephrite made it out to be. "Do you have   
glaucoma or something?"  
"I don't know. All I know is that if I open my eyes, I'm as   
good as blind."  
"Great," Kunzite muttered, holding up one hand to shield the  
sunlight. "Mercury, have you detected an entrance?"   
She pointed her finger, sending a stream of water in a circle   
over a patch of snow, which instantly froze into an ice ring about   
ten feet in diameter. "Right in the middle of that ring is a hole   
covered in snow. It's about three meters in diameter, but I can't   
detect its depth. All the negative energy residue is blocking my scan."  
Jadeite sent a spiral of energy into the ring, blasting away   
the snow and uncovering a dark, gaping hole in the ground. They looked   
down.  
"Jesus H. Christ in a chicken basket," Zoicite breathed. "How   
far down do you think that is?"  
"Can we jump? We've jumped off buildings before, no sweat, and   
they were like, forty or fifty feet." Sailor Moon asked. Mars shook   
her head.  
"We could…but what if there's spikes or a snake pit down there   
or something? I don't feel like losing this battle before it even begins."  
"OK, Indiana Jones," Jupiter muttered.   
Mars huffed, "All I'm saying is that we don't know how deep   
it is or what's at the bottom. I don't think it's safe to just   
jump blindly."  
Venus nodded. "We're not jumping if we don't know what's at   
the bottom, or if there even is one. Mercury, are you positive you   
can't get a reading?"  
"I'm positive."   
Venus sighed. "I might have an idea then." She unraveled   
her chain from her waist. "If I can attach the end of this to   
something, I can kind of, well, quickly rappel down to the bottom.   
The only problem is, I would have to pull it in from the bottom,   
and I don't know how I would get you guys down."  
"We can jump," Zoicite offered.  
"But what if it's hundreds of feet down? We've only jumped   
off of four or five story buildings, and my ankles were killing me   
for days from that distance. If it's any more than that, we'd   
probably, well, splat." She twisted her chain in her hands. "Unless…"   
She hooked her fingers in one of the hearts, and pulled out. The   
golden heart expanded to the size of manhole cover. She stood at the   
edge of the chasm and threw it down, each subsequent heart that rolled   
out as big as the first, their golden glint swallowed up by the   
smothering darkness. The links clanged together like church bells.  
Venus knelt and stuck her head down, listening for the sound   
of metal hitting the bottom. "There!" She announced, rising. "I   
heard it hit bottom; it's pretty far down, but I think we can make   
it." She detached the chain from around her waist and looped it over   
a block of ice. "Mercury, is this thing solid?"  
Mercury sent a stream of water around the bottom, freezing it   
to the ground. "Now it is."   
Endymion stepped forward. "I'll go first."  
"Like hell you are," Kunzite said, elbowing in front of him.   
"I'm going first."  
"Maybe we should all go, together," Sailor Moon suggested.   
"I would hate to think of what might happen if one of us is alone   
at the bottom and they're something waiting for us."  
"Strength in numbers," Jupiter agreed. "I'm going second, then."   
"I have to go last, to pull the chain up," Venus explained.   
"Then I'll rappel down."   
Kunzite stuck his foot in a loop. "Well, here goes." He began   
descending down the makeshift ladder. It twisted violently. "Whoa!   
It's kind of unsteady, like a rope ladder."   
"I'll try to steady it." Venus grabbed it near the base.  
His head disappeared into the blackness. "You have to feel   
for the next rung, so everyone be careful. Go slowly."  
"Aye-aye," Jupiter saluted, grabbing hold of the chain and   
descending. "Wow, Kunzite, you weren't kidding! I'm having flashbacks   
of gym class…"  
After Jupiter went Jadeite, and then Mercury, Nephrite,   
Endymion, Sailor Moon, Zoicite, and Mars. "Oh, why couldn't I   
go last?" Sailor Moon whined in the darkness, her foot grappling   
for the next rung.  
"Because I want you in the middle, surrounded by protection,"   
Venus called from the top. "Tell Kunzite to give me a report."  
They relayed the message down the chain. "Hey, Venus wants  
a report," Jupiter shouted to Kunzite, who was about ten feet below her.  
"What's there to report? I'm still climbing down the chain   
in the dark. Can you see at all?"  
"A little bit," Jadeite said from above Jupiter. "The chain   
is glowing very faintly; a birthday candle gives off more light,   
but it's better than nothing."   
"My eyes still hurt," Nephrite complained. He gasped as the   
chain swung a little. "OH GOD!"  
"What are you complaining about?" Mars asked, cursing at   
her red heels. "I can barely maneuver around in these stupid,   
impractical shoes! Jadeite, if you say one word about it I'm   
going to jiggle the chain!"  
Jadeite shut his mouth, and Nephrite gasped. "Please don't   
do that!"   
"What's wrong?" Endymion asked from above. Nephrite had   
been literally crawling down at a snail's pace; Endymion had   
almost stepped on his fingers twice. He lowered his voice. "Are   
you scared?"  
"NO!" His denial was dripping with indignation. "Well,   
maybe a little. Or a lot." His mouth had gone completely dry.   
"I kind of don't like heights."   
Endymion groaned. "You're kidding."   
"Does it sound like I'm kidding? God, my heart is racing…"  
"Nephrite, don't worry, OK? Just take it one step at a   
time." Sailor Moon's voice was overly soothing.  
"What do you think I've been doing?"   
Kunzite advanced down. "OK, I've lost visibility."  
Jupiter craned her neck up. "Hey, Jadeite, Kunzite's lost   
visibility."  
"Kunzite can't see anymore!" He shouted up. Nephrite groaned.  
Kunzite lowered his foot to find the next rung, and merely   
swiped at empty air. "Uh-oh."   
"What?" Jupiter asked. He started swinging his foot around,   
searching for another link. There was none.   
"We're short," he groaned.   
"What?" Mercury asked from above. "How short, can you tell?"   
"I can't see a thing. Everyone stop climbing!"  
Venus's voice was barely an echo. "You've got to be kidding   
me! I heard it hit bottom!"  
"Maybe it was hitting the sides," Jadeite offered. "Should   
we start up?"  
"No," Kunzite said, squinting in the darkness. An idea   
dawned on him. "Wait."   
"Hurry up, Neph's about to go postal."  
"Everyone shut up!" Kunzite shouted. The chain of soldiers   
fell silent.   
He leaned over, disregarding how much the chain shook and   
how much Nephrite whined, and spit into the darkness.  
Pat.  
The sound of saliva hitting stone was much closer than he   
had anticipated; he spit again to gauge.  
Another message came trickling down. "Venus says she's sending   
something down," Jupiter reported.   
A golden heart streaked by the chain, illuminating the stone   
walls of the tube with its almost painful golden light. It whizzed   
past Kunzite and impacted on the ground below, giving him a brief   
glimpse of a flat stone floor.  
"OK, I saw it. The bottom looks pretty solid, and it's   
perfectly flat. We should have no problem landing on it."  
"How far down?" Endymion inquired.  
"About twenty or thirty feet. We can jump it."   
"Be careful!" Venus's distant voice echoed down the tunnel.   
Zoicite snickered and made a whiplash sound.   
Frowning, Kunzite lowered himself until he was dangling on   
the last heart with his hands, and the rest of his body swung loose.   
Taking a breath, he released his hold on the chain and plummeted   
into the darkness.   
CLUNK. He landed unsteadily on his feet, the impact throwing   
him down, undignified, on his ass. For once, he was grateful for the   
darkness. "It's OK; it's not that bad!" he shouted. Ow. Good goddamn.   
Jupiter reached the end of the line. Her tiara sparked with   
white electricity in the darkness. "Kunzite, can you see me? Am I   
going to fall on you?"  
"No, just let go. I'll catch you." He positioned himself   
under the flashes of light. "Ready? On three."  
"One, two, three!" She let go of the chain, and Kunzite   
caught her.   
"Oh, thanks." The air crackled, and Jupiter held up a ball   
of lightening, illuminating the cavern with a harsh white glow   
reminiscent of fluorescent light bulbs.  
"You gonna catch me too, Kunz?" Jadeite teased.   
"Hell no. Just jump."  
After Jadeite, Mercury jumped off with little fanfare and   
was also caught by Kunzite. He had barely put her down when her   
computer screen lit up and she was typing away.   
Nephrite had hit the end of the line, and was latched onto   
the chain with a death grip. "Oh no."  
Jadeite groaned. "Oh God, Neph, don't tell me you're afraid   
to jump!"  
"Shut up, asswipe!" Sweat was pouring down his face and he   
gripped the chain tighter.   
"Hey, what's holding up the line?" Mars shouted from above.   
"Nephrite's too pussy to jump," Jadeite said.  
"Jadeite, I'm so going to kick your ass," Nephrite choked.   
"Well, then jump down and prove it, pussy."   
Jupiter cleared her throat. "Nephrite, listen to me. I know   
this is scary for you-"  
"Scary? Try paralyzing!"  
She continued. "Please, baby, listen to me. Nothing bad will   
happen to you, I promise. It's hard but you're going to have to do   
it. I believe in you, baby, I love you. I'll help you get through this."  
"You will?" he squeaked. On the ground, Jadeite was turning   
purple stifling his laughter.   
"Yes, hon, please, I believe in you. We all believe you can   
do this."  
"I believe in you," Endymion said. "I'll help you, too."  
"We all believe in you, hon," Jupiter said, her voice smooth   
as melted beeswax. Jadeite sank to his knees with both hands clapped   
over his mouth and tears streaming down his face. "Just listen to   
me, I'll talk you through it. Let go of the chain on three, OK? I'll  
know you can do it, baby, all you have to do is jump."  
"Oh God. I can't."   
"Yes you can, hon. It will all be over in a second, I swear to   
you. You don't have to be afraid of anything. It's not bad at all.   
I love you, baby, are you ready?"   
"Yes," Nephrite finally agreed. "I'm ready."  
Jupiter kept talking. "OK, here we go. One…two…Endy…three!"  
Endy? Nephrite had a split second to process the discrepancy   
in Jupiter's countdown when Endymion's boot solidly connected with   
his face, and he lost his grip and tumbled off of the chain. He   
screamed as he plummeted thirty feet to the ground, and landed   
directly onto Kunzite with a gigantic "WUMPH", kicking him in the   
stomach in the process.   
"Ugh!" Kunzite grunted, doubling over, and suddenly the cavern   
was filled with sounds: Jadeite laughing hysterically at the top   
of his lungs, practically crying with mirth, Nephrite whimpering   
like an earthquake victim, Mars and Moon cheering from up above.   
Nephrite lay on the ground and gripped Jupiter like a life   
preserver. He found his voice. "What…why…why did…you had…Endy…booted   
me off…"  
"Well, you weren't going to jump, were you?" Jupiter hugged   
him.   
"Hell no! I would have let go of that chain when you pried   
it from my cold dead fingers!"   
"See, the only way we would have gotten you off is if   
Endymion kicked you! It was for your own good!"  
"That's twisted logic if I've ever heard it!"  
"Crude, yet effective," Endymion said as he jumped down.   
"Hate…you guys…so much…"  
"Aw, relax Neph, you're not the only pussy to walk the face   
of the Earth. We're all afraid of something; Kunzite's afraid of   
horses."  
Kunzite, who had been off to one side wheezing, straightened   
up and glared at Endymion's comment. "I am not!"  
Endymion caught Sailor Moon out of the air. "Don't even deny   
it, Kunz, I remember. You wouldn't go near the stables until you   
were sixteen, and that's only because they forced you."   
Jadeite, who had just barely gotten his breath back, dissolved   
again into laughter. "Yes, you were! Oh my God, remember when he   
was first starting to ride?" He elbowed Endymion compulsively,   
and they both held up their hands and widened their eyes in a   
pantomime of a terrified rider. Then they started laughing, a   
little too loud and a little too hard, stopping only when Jadeite   
announced that if he kept laughing, he was going to vomit up his   
Steak-Um.   
Kunzite was glowering. "That was un-amusing."  
Sailor Mars landed deftly to his left. "What was?"  
Nephrite had started to giggle. "Kunzite's fear of horses."  
Mars joined in the contagious laughter. "No! For real? But   
you had a horse, remember? The gigantic one, what was his name?   
Triton?"  
"Titan. And I wasn't afraid of him."  
"That's right!" Zoicite clapped his hands together. "Titan!   
I remember Titan! He was the biggest motherfucking horse I've ever   
seen…and the dumbest!"   
Mercury looked up from her computer screen. "Didn't you have   
internal combustion engines back then? I remember tracking the   
cloud of smog over the Middle East; you could see it from the moon."  
"Yeah. But most of the Earth's oil was tied up in the Middle   
East, and they had a holy war there every other day and twice on   
Sundays," Endymion explained. "We couldn't run our engines on magic   
like you screwy Moon People."   
Sailor Jupiter ran her hand down the gray stone of the wall.   
"Why didn't you guys try Alaska?"  
"Talk to Nephrite, that was his department."  
Their idle conversation of Earth's ancient modes of   
transportation was broken by a "zzzzrip!" like a giant zipper   
being pulled up a giant windbreaker, as Venus pulled her Love-me   
Chain back up to the surface. Sailor Moon's communicator rang.  
"Yep?" she said, clicking it on.   
"I'm going to be coming down, and fast, so keep your heads   
up, OK?"  
"Gotcha, Venus."   
The light from Jupiter's electric ball was eclipsed by a   
brilliant golden glow that glared in the insides of the tunnel as   
Venus flew down, her chain around her waist. She slowed before hitting   
the ground, and landed easily on her feet.   
"You're right, I was pretty short," she said, pulling down her   
chain. The glow waned and died once she looped it back around her   
waist. "What's the verdict, Merc?"  
Mercury looked at her through her visor. "Specific points on   
these walls are hollow; I suspect that they're hallways and we just   
landed parallel to them. The closest is right-here." She stopped in   
front of a jagged wall. "We have to break through it."  
Jadeite simulated rolling up his sleeves. "Allow me."  
Sailor Venus stopped him. "Wait, I don't want to cause a big   
scene just yet."  
"How are we going to get through?" he asked. Zoicite was already   
tapping his knuckles against the stone.   
"It's not that thick, I don't think."  
"Zoicite's right; the wall is only about and inch thick, and   
the stone is a soft shale. If Kunzite leans on it the right way he'll   
probably knock it down."  
Sailor Moon made a sweeping gesture towards the wall like one   
of Bob Barker's Beauties. "Go ahead, Kunzite. Lean."  
Sailor Mars knelt down near the floor and pressed her index   
finger against the base of the wall. Her hand glowed as red as coals   
as she traced an outline of a door on the gray stone. "Or here,   
kick it in."  
"Ready, Neph?" Nephrite nodded. Kunzite steeled himself. "On   
three.  
Three!" They kicked at opposite sides of Mars's seam, crushing   
through the soft stone and sending a large rectangular slab crashing   
to the ground. The noise was deafening in the relative silence, and   
sent shock waves through the leather and rubber of their shoes. A   
cloud of dust kicked up, stinging their eyes and tickling their   
sinuses. Throwing caution, prudence, and anything requiring higher   
and complex thought to the wind, Jadeite valiantly leapt through   
the newly formed opening, sword ready and drawn, screaming the first   
phrase that popped into his head.   
"Freeze! FBI!"  
A youma had been lurking in the hallway; all of three feet   
tall with bumpy, plastic-like red skin covered in oddly shaped bumps   
and boils. It gave a shrill screech of terror, a cross between   
Styrofoam squeaking between your teeth and a fork scraping the inside   
of a frying pan, and scuttled off down the dank hallway as fast as   
its stumpy legs could propel it.   
They watched it toddle out of sight, whimpering like a stray   
dog. An extremely ugly stray dog.   
"OK," Zoicite observed. "That was…"  
"Pathetic?" Venus supplied.  
Silence. "Was that a beanbag chair?" Nephrite asked hesitantly.  
Silence. "Well, it was a beanbag chair that FEARED me," Jadeite   
proclaimed.   
Sailor Jupiter scoffed. "Please. It was a baby youma."  
"A baby beanbag chair youma," Sailor Moon concluded.   
"Congratulations, guys, you've just passed the descriptive   
writing final for English 15." Sailor Venus ran her finger against   
the stone. "Mercury, what is this stuff?"   
Mercury held her computer up to the bluish, glowing slime   
covering the walls. "Some type of…bioluminescent lichen. But,   
according to my calculations, it has been extinct since the Cretaceous   
period."   
"Is it poisonous?" Mars asked, shying away from Venus's finger.   
"No."  
Jadeite elbowed Endymion. "Dare you to lick it."   
Endymion turned to face him, half a smile on his face and a   
smart remark blossoming on his lips. And then, he almost fainted.   
Jadeite saw his prince go even whiter in the sickly glow of   
the lichen. "Endy? What's wrong?"   
Sailor Moon turned. "Endymion? Is everything…?" She gasped.   
Venus swiveled around. "You too, Venus!"  
Venus mirrored her princess's expression of absolute shock.   
"Your-your eyes are glowing!"   
"So our yours! So are everybody's!" Sailor Moon's exclamation   
started a chain reaction, and soon everyone was staring at each   
other's eyes.   
Mercury's eyes glowed like silver coins as she typed in her   
computer. "Our eyes aren't glowing; they're reflecting light much   
like a cat's or a dog's. It seems that we have a higher concentration   
of rods and cones."  
Zoicite's eyes were the dimmest. "Then we should have amazing   
eyesight, right?"  
"I believe we do. A normal person wouldn't be able to see   
this well in this amount of light."   
Nephrite's eyes reflected the most light; they seemed to   
radiate with an internal fire that made the rest of his face seem   
ghostly. "Doesn't anyone remember? When your eyes reflected light-"  
"-you were a Magic Person," Endymion concluded. "From the   
Moon or with Moon ancestry. They needed better eyes to see where   
it was almost always night."   
Kunzite stared into space for a full minute. "When they came   
to take me away from my home, the first thing they did was shine   
a light in my eyes. That's how they knew I was a Magic Person,   
because of my eyes."   
"My grandfather was a Magic Person," Jadeite started. "He   
always wore dark glasses, ever since the Cleansing, so that no   
one would ever find out and arrest him. I was the only one lucky,   
or unfortunate, enough to inherit his Magic."  
A memory blindsided Endymion, a memory of playing hide and   
seek with his friends, his brothers, in the dark, and screaming when   
he saw four pairs of disembodied eyes shining back at him when he   
clicked off the light.   
Venus cleared her throat. "I'm officially stopping this journey   
down memory lane. Nephrite, what's through the walls?"   
He focused. "You're going to love this. Another hallway, and   
it's completely empty."  
She groaned. "Mercury, please tell me you can MapQuest this   
thing."  
"I can, in a way. We're standing in the outer hub of the   
Dark Kingdom, and to make our way inward, we have to follow where   
that youma went." She pointed down the hallway.   
Kunzite drew his sword with a lethal hiss. "Be on guard."  
A half an hour later, the scenery hadn't changed, but the   
atmosphere had. The cavernous hallway had been entirely silent on   
the point where they had broken through the wall, and now eerie   
hisses and scuttles were resonating through the chamber like Dolby   
surround sound. A slight scraping noise had been a constant, as   
if the very walls were breathing. Sailor Moon trembled.   
"It's getting loud. I don't like it," she whispered. Endymion   
squeezed her hand.   
"What was that?" Sailor Jupiter gasped, twirling around,   
her hands crackling.  
"What was what?" Mars echoed, her voice tight.  
"That cracking noise. Don't you guys hear it?"   
Venus drew her sword. "I do now. Where's it coming from,   
Mercury?"  
Mercury craned her neck up. "The ceiling. There's a fault   
line form-"  
She was cut off by a low growl.   
Endymion was almost knocked over as Kunzite slammed into his   
back. That's right. We always fought back to back. Something   
stirred in the darkness, and a youma came lumbering out, oily and   
black and predatory, a cross between a black mamba and a common sea   
crab. It hissed viciously through its crustacean mouth.  
"Oh, ew!" Sailor Moon breathed, staring at the trail of greasy,   
clear liquid it left in its wake.   
"Fire Soul!"   
Mars's attack was unusually effective; the youma went up in   
flames like it had been doused in gasoline. Its hissing became desperate   
as its exoskeleton rapidly incinerated, giving off a smell of burning   
chemicals and steamed crab.  
Mercury smiled. "Good call, Mars. The coat of secretion on its  
shell was highly flammable."   
Mars shrugged. "I kind of figured that out; it smelled like   
lighter fluid."  
Nephrite sniffed heavily. "Now it's making me hungry."  
Kunzite was halfway to responding, something stupid like what   
lighter fluid must taste like on crabs, when something jumped out   
of the shadows, knocking him over and sinking its teeth into his sword   
arm.   
"No!" Sailor Moon screamed. More shadows appeared from nowhere,   
each the size of a large Rottweiler, snapping and biting as they attacked.   
Venus shoved her out of the way. "Rolling heart vibration!" The   
golden heart obliterated two of the youmas in mid-jump.   
A flurry of ice spears flew through the air and landed in the   
back of the youma that had latched onto Kunzite's arm. He pried its   
blood-soaked jaws from his elbow. Zoicite ran over and helped him to   
his feet. "Close call, bud."   
Mars, Jadeite, and Nephrite wove back and forth in the melee,   
drawing more of the youmas away from the Prince and Princess. Nephrite   
fired several deadly accurate comets, blowing the youmas to dust. He got   
his first good look at them in the dying light of the flaming crab youma.   
"Oh man, they kind of look like Rottweilers without snouts! Here   
boy, c'mon! Burn in hell! That's a good boy!"   
"And bigger teeth," Jupiter added, electrocuting any youma close   
enough. Their teeth were long, pointed, and perfectly smooth, designed   
to crunch through bone. "I think these are Beryl's guard dogs!"  
"Guard this," Endymion grunted, shoving his sword through one's   
neck.  
Sailor Moon's tiara flew through the air, cutting off the legs  
of the three remaining youma, and the only sound left were their   
dying screams.   
Zoicite kicked one's body. "Damn, they were ugly little fuckers."   
Kunzite held his injured arm against his body as Mercury scanned   
it. "Does it hurt?" she asked, ripping off his cape and wrapping it   
against the gushing wound.   
"No," he lied, his face gray.   
"Well, you're definitely lying, because your arm's broken."   
"Great," Jadeite groaned, tapping one tentative foot against   
the charred crab. "That's just what we need right now; our big gun   
KO'd by a mutant Rottie."  
Venus started towards Kunzite, ready to comfort or reassure or   
whatever was most appropriate for the occasion, and then suddenly   
took off running. "JADEITE! LOOK OUT!"   
Jadeite jumped back as the supposedly dead youma sprang up from   
the ground and started after him. "Oh shit!"   
Ten different attacks hit it from ten different angles, and   
ricocheted off its burnt body and slammed into the ceiling. The rock   
exploded, and suddenly hundreds of boulders were raining down on their   
heads in a torrent of debris and noise.   
Endymion could barely see through the cloud of dust, but he   
managed to catch one last glimpse of his beloved's face, her gigantic   
blue eyes round with terror, before Venus pulled on her arm and out   
of the way of danger.   
Nephrite only had time to shove Jupiter out of the way of   
falling rocks; if Zoicite hadn't grabbed him by the collar, he would   
have been buried under a dump truck's worth of broken rock and rubble.   
The dust settled; Sailor Moon and her Senshi and Prince Endymion   
and his Generals were separated by two tons of jagged rock and rubble.   
"This is soo clichéd!" Mars grumbled, laying flat on her back.   
"What kind of higher power would stick us in such a trite, overdone,  
tired situation as this?"  
Sailor Moon clicked on her communicator. "Is everyone all   
right and accounted for?"  
Endymion's dusty face appeared in the box. "Yeah, we're fine,   
except Zoicite thinks he's swallowed a rock. How about you guys?"   
She took a quick survey of her friends: Mars and Mercury   
seemed none the worse for wear, Jupiter had sustained a cut on her   
forehead, and a section of Venus's hair was caught under a giant   
rock. She was presently sawing it off with her sword. "We're good,   
for now. Mercury, should we teleport over there or should they come   
over here?"  
Mercury wiped a film of dust off of her visor. "We should go   
over there."  
"We're coming over," Sailor Moon said. "Hold on a second.   
Ready, girls?"   
Venus's hair was now extremely lopsided. "Let's get it on."   
They held hands in a circle.   
Nothing happened. "Guys, concentrate," Venus ordered.   
"What do you think we're doing?" Jupiter said, squeezing her   
eyes shut.   
"Something's not right," Sailor Moon said, her voice quavering.   
Sailor Mars snorted. "My thoughts exactly. Why isn't this working?"   
Mercury let go of Venus and Jupiter's hands and re-opened her   
computer. "Something's definitely blocking our teleporting ability.   
There's no way we can teleport in this kind of interference."   
"What about the guys?" Venus opened her communicator. "It's not  
working for us. Why don't you try?"  
"OK," Endymion agreed. A few minutes passed, and all five of   
their faces appeared. "It's not working for us, either."  
"Looks like we're up shit creek," Zoicite added cheerfully.   
"What's our Plan B?"   
"Blast through the rock?" Jupiter suggested, wiping the blood   
off of her forehead.  
"Take it easy, tiger, we'd probably cave in the ceiling again,"   
Nephrite said on the other end.   
Sailor Venus pulled her bow out and started tying her uneven   
hair up into a ponytail. "Mercury, give me a mutual point where we   
can meet up."   
She typed. "If we travel in opposite directions, we'll both   
hit an opening into a parallel hallway. We can meet in the center   
there."  
"Hear that, guys?"  
"Loud and clear, Venus. You guys be careful."   
She smiled at Endymion's warning. "You too. And try to lay   
low; we're at a disadvantage being divided like this. Keep the   
communication lines open, and if we don't meet up in an hour, we'll   
try teleporting again. Keep your eyes open and your head down."  
"She always this bossy, Kunz?"   
"Shut up, Jadeite. Venus out." She shut her communicator, and   
turned to face her friends. "We are in deep shit, guys."  
"Kinda figured that one out, too," Mars muttered. "Come on, we   
have a lot of walking to do."  
  
************  
  
"Yikes! Watch it with that thing!" Nephrite rubbed his leg where   
it had almost been sliced off by Kunzite's sword.   
"Sorry. I'm not used to using this hand." His injured arm dangled  
across his chest in a makeshift sling made out of his cape, leaving   
him with no other option but to carry his sword with his subdominant   
hand.  
"Kunzite can't even pick his nose with his right hand," Jadeite   
reported, chuckling as he remembered Kevin curled around a right-handed   
desk, trying to balance his elbow while filling in little SAT bubbles   
at the same time.   
Zoicite imagination was running wild; he scanned the ceiling for   
potential dangly bat-youmas. "You think the chicks are OK?"  
Jadeite scoffed. "You should be worried about us, not them. They   
logged in much more playing time then we have. Haven't you noticed   
that we completely suck at this? Five months ago my biggest concern   
was how many parties I was going to in a weekend, and now it's   
saving the world from evil Negaverse Communism, or whatever. Not   
to mention that besides what's leftover in my brain from a past   
life, I have absolutely no military experience."   
"Still…" his voice trailed off.  
Endymion could sympathize with Zoicite; all he could think   
about was Sailor Moon. True, she practically had enough power to   
put the entire world in a coma, but she was still green, and vulnerable,  
and he wasn't fully convinced that the cave-in had been an accident.   
She was his soul, his life, his reason to roll out of bed in the   
morning and keep at it, and if anything happened to her in this   
freakish ghoul-world, he wouldn't know how to carry on…  
Nephrite's mind was on the same track; although he knew that   
Jupiter would probably physically beat him for being such a chauvinist,   
he couldn't help but think that he should be there, protecting her.   
What if one of those crab-things was waiting on the other side for   
them? She was a powerful soldier, he knew, but, for God's sake, WHAT   
IF?  
His mind was still awash with sappy ponderings, and he had barely   
a second to register his comrades' gasps when something large and   
heavy slammed into his back.  
He spun, adrenaline pumping, ready to eviscerate the new threat   
with one fell swoop, and stopped dead in his tracks. "J. Christ,   
Kunzite, watch where you're going, I almost attacked you!"   
Strangely, Kunzite didn't meet his eyes, but rather fixed his   
gaze on a point above Nephrite's head. "Like I meant to," was his   
curt response.   
"Well then-" Nephrite stopped and studied his friends. Zoicite   
was biting his lip and tapping his sword to the ground like a blind   
man taps his white-tipped cane to the pavement. Jadeite held one   
hand to the wall and another out in front of him. Endymion was wiping   
the air with both his hands. "Wait, what's wrong? Have you all been   
struck blind?"  
"Nephrite, cut the smartass shit," Kunzite growled, still   
staring above his head. "Would everyone talk or something so I   
know where you are?"   
Endymion was smiling in the dark. "God, you have such an   
accent. 'Smaht-ass!'"  
"You've never noticed it before?"  
"No, I just thought you had a speech impediment. Say 'Harvard.'"  
Zoicite waved on arm out to the side. "No, tell him to say   
'car'."  
"You're both retarded."  
"Re-tah-ded!"   
"I think I'm in front and to your right," Jadeite reported,   
feeling the wall as he took a step forward.   
It finally dawned on Nephrite. "Guys, can you see? I'm not   
being a smartass, I swear, because I can."  
"You can what?" Zoicite tripped and caught himself.  
"I can see!"  
Endymion stopped short. "How the hell can you see; it's pitch   
black!"   
"Hey, I'm just as shocked as you guys, but I can see in the   
dark. What happened, anyway?"   
"The lichen clicked off," Zoicite said, moving towards Nephrite's   
voice. "It sounds weird but that's exactly what happened. One minute   
we're going on our merry way and the next thing I know, all the lights   
go off and we're stumbling around like blind men."  
"Are there any immediate threats?" Endymion asked sharply.   
"Other than one of you falling and impaling yourselves on a   
sword, none that I can see."   
Endymion sighed. "You're going to have to lead us, then,   
unless someone has the power to create light for more than five   
seconds.  
Does anyone?" He concluded hopefully.   
"No," Kunzite sighed, adjusting his arm so that the broken   
bones didn't grate together and send white-hot sparks of pain   
shooting up to his shoulder.   
"I don't remember how," Zoicite said. "I used to do it all   
the time back then, too. Sorry."  
Jadeite was disgusted with himself. "Why the hell can I remember   
the spell for cheating at pitch like it's the friggin' Pledge of   
Allegiance, but for the life of me I can't remember how to generate   
a few measly watts that would probably be drowned out by a regulation   
Christmas light!"  
Click! Everyone except Nephrite recoiled, startled by the sudden   
burst of flame and dim yellow glow that accompanied it.  
Nephrite held the Bic up. "Is this good?"   
Endymion blinked. "Where did you get that?"   
"I keep it in that subspace pocket, or whatever Mercury calls   
it, with a pack of smokes. Why?"   
He shook his head. "You're unreal. Let's keep moving."  
Time seemed to pass in hours instead of minutes as they moved   
down the cavern, occasionally tripping over a stray rock or other   
hard, unidentifiable object that they chose not to explore in detail.   
Nephrite led the way with his cigarette lighter, and the others   
followed behind, hands on each other's shoulders like a line of blind   
men.   
"So who's going to win the Series?" Jadeite started, not knowing   
that he was whispering.   
"BoSox," Kunzite responded immediately.   
"Boston my ass, I'm still pulling for the Giants."   
"Zoicite, your Giants have about as much chance winning as   
the stupid O's."   
"Who's dissin the O's?" Jadeite snapped.  
"Me. The Mariners are taking it, bitch. What's your team,   
Endymion?"  
Endymion swallowed nervously, not knowing how it would go   
over with a Red Sox fan directly behind him. "Yankees."  
Collective groaning echoed off the walls. "You suck," Zoicite  
muttered.   
"Say that again and we'll feed you to the youmas," Nephrite   
laughed, two seconds before he disappeared into thin air.   
  
  
***********  
Luna watched as a portion of Beryl's globe lit up, and   
Beryl's extremely surprised expression.   
"How did they get there?" Beryl whispered. Luna could barely   
pick up what she was saying, but she couldn't take her eyes off   
of the blinking dot on the globe.   
Beryl waved. "It doesn't matter how at this point." She   
nodded at her minions. "You know what to do."  
They bowed. Luna's heart froze.   
"No. Oh no. Why did they come?"  
  
************  
  
  
Unlike their counterpart male party, the Senshi were not left   
in the dark when the lichen inexplicably clicked off. Jupiter lit   
her glowing electricity ball again, this time joined by a fireball   
from Mars.   
Venus blinked in the sudden, harsh light. "Mercury, what   
just happened?"   
Mercury angled her computer so that it caught the light   
from Jupiter's electricity. "Something just passed through,   
some kind of dark energy."   
Mars groaned. "Bad dark energy or good dark energy?"  
" 'Good dark energy' is an oxymoron, Mars."  
Venus and Jupiter simultaneously pulled out their communicators.   
"They're not working," Jupiter said, ramming her finger on the   
button over and over, much like elevator passengers do when the   
doors don't open immediately. "What the hell's wrong?"  
"It must be the dark energy; we're surrounded by it!"   
Venus and Mars were on guard. "What caused it? Did we set   
off a trigger?" Venus asked.   
"I don't know."  
"Fuck us hard." Mars stormed in front of the group, leading   
the way with her fireball.   
Sailor Moon drew closer to the glow of Jupiter's ball. "Oh   
great, after all we went through to draw up a stupid plan that had   
a pretty decent shot at actually freaking working, somehow we manage   
to fuck it up and now we're wandering around in the stupid dark   
like a bunch of stupid-"  
Mercury screaming abruptly cut off Sailor Moon's complaint.  
"MARS DON'T MOVE!" Mercury took off, shoving Sailor Moon and Jupiter  
out of her way, and nearly ripped Mars's arm clean out of the   
socket in an attempt to pull her back. Mars teetered on her skinny   
spike heels and fell to the ground, hard.  
"Mercury!" Her eyes blazed with invisible flame as she jumped   
up, brushing the backs of her legs. "What was that for?"  
"You nearly walked right into a 'dark spot'," Mercury panted,   
placing one hand to her chest.  
"A what what?"  
"There's no other way to describe it. It's a patch of highly   
concentrated dark energy, used mainly as shortcuts to other   
designated parts of the Dark Kingdom."  
"Sort of like those secret passages in 'Clue'?" Jupiter   
surmised.  
"Not exactly. They were designed for use only by inhabitants   
of the Negaverse. If we walked into one, at worst we'd be instantly   
killed; at best, tripping an alarm."  
Venus smushed her face between her hands and expended every   
ounce of available energy to keep from screaming. "Is there any way   
around it?"  
"No. We'll have to backtrack."  
"How long will that put us behind?"  
"Approximately two hours."  
This time she did scream, albeit through her hands clapped   
over her mouth to muffle the sound. Sailor Moon patted her on the   
back.  
"Don't worry, Venus, this is just a roadblock."   
"Big fucking roadblock, if you ask me."  
They started back down the way they came, Mercury in the lead   
to scan for potential dark spots. Sailor Moon felt like she had  
been walking for hours; her ankles and knees ached from repeatedly  
pounding the stone floor, and her optimism was waning with every   
minute spent in the dark. "This place, it's horrible, it's filled   
with hate. All I can feel is hate; it even comes from the walls.   
It's only happy when other people are suffering."  
"That's probably Metallia you're sensing," Mars said from   
the rear. "She's basically the embodiment of hate."  
Sailor Moon sighed, and, like a small child in a crowded   
shopping mall, she reached for Venus's hand and latched on. "I'm   
worried about Endymion, too. I mean, I know he's capable of taking   
care of himself, and he's bailed me out of a few hundred close   
calls, but…I don't know what's out there. He could be in danger   
and I would have no way to help him."  
Venus glanced down at her. "He'll be fine. He's got plenty   
of backup."  
"I know he's in very capable hands, but if anything happened   
to him, I wouldn't have a reason to live." Her tone was light, but   
her words were deadly serious. Venus pulled her closer.  
"I don't want to sound like my mother, and say that eventually   
you'd get over it-"  
"Then don't," Sailor Moon said simply, like she was answering   
survey questions. "I love him; he's the other half of my soul,   
and he's the only thing that keeps me going. If he dies, I die."  
Venus studied the steadfast resolution in her face. "You mean   
that, don't you?"  
"You bet!" She giggled, cheerful even when discussing a   
serious subject. "Aw, Venus, it's just like old times, when you   
used to tell me that my love for Endymion was just a crush, and   
then stick to my side like an overgrown leech to make sure I didn't   
sneak down to Earth!"  
Venus guffawed. "I don't know how I didn't pick up on the   
fact that HE was the one breaking the rules and sneaking up to the   
Moon!"  
Sailor Moon laughed, the happy sound refreshingly clashing   
with the dismal atmosphere. "He wasn't the only one sneaking up to  
the Moon, hmm? That goes for all of you!"  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jupiter said, feigning   
innocence and starting a round of embarrassed laughter.  
Sailor Moon wasn't finished with Venus. "Wouldn't you want   
to die too if Kunzite did? Don't you love him?"  
Venus stared straight ahead at Jupiter's back. "Yes, I love   
him. But I would have no other choice to live on; it's my duty to   
protect you. He would do the same for Endymion."  
She sighed. "You know, Venus, it's this total preoccupation   
with duty that makes you absolutely no fun to hang out with sometimes!"  
Venus smiled. "I'm that boring?"   
"No, did you hear me? I said, 'When you're Venus.' When   
you're Mina, you're a blast."  
"We're the same person."   
"Sort of. You have this G.I. Jane persona going on when you   
slip into Sailor Mode. When you're Mina, stuff seems not to bother   
you so badly."  
She glanced at the floor. "I hide it well."  
"We all do," Mars interrupted. "You think I'm this bitchy  
when I'm not punishing in the name of Mars?"  
"YES!" said the chorus. Mars reddened until her ears looked   
like they were burning.   
A half hour passed, uneventfully. Jupiter broke the silence   
in the most tactless way possible. "So, Mercury, get any last   
night?"  
"I'm not at liberty to discuss that," Mercury said, thankful   
that her visor covered most of her mortified expression.   
"'I'm not at liberty to discuss that.' Listen to you! You're   
not being interrogated by the police, you're just sharing your   
personal conquests with four of your best friends!"  
"Let's save the personal conquests for later, OK?" Venus   
said, peering up at the ceiling.   
"Not until Mercury swears to tell us everything when we   
get back," Jupiter bargained.   
Venus cut Mercury off. "She promises."  
Mars kicked a stone out of her way. "Do you think we should   
start on the plan yet? We've been here a while and we haven't done   
anything except wander and look cute."  
They all looked to Venus, who nodded. "Might as well stick   
to the plan. Only Mars and Mercury, though, I don't want to get   
zapped while running from a youma or a dark spot."   
Mars began firing at random points on the ground, creating   
mounds of dust that resembled mini-volcanoes. When stepped on, they   
would erupt in a burst of flame. Venus had gotten the idea while   
watching a news report about forgotten land mines in Kosovo that   
had the unfortunate tendency to blow off children's limbs when they   
stepped on them. If everything had been going as planned, Kunzite   
and Nephrite would be planting even deadlier land mines, and Zoicite   
would be rigging the ceiling with falling, ice crystal stalactites.   
"Watch your step, guys," Mars warned as she blasted her way   
down the cavern.   
Sailor Moon stayed within spitting distance of Venus. "Did you   
guys hear something?"   
Venus held her arm out, and everyone stopped. "No," Jupiter   
said. "I don't. Do you?"  
"Yes!" Sailor Moon was absolutely distressed. "It's Endymion!   
He's hurt and he's all alone, oh God he needs my help!" She took off   
running, heading towards Mars's land mines.  
Mercury grabbed her before she could blow off her leg. "Please,   
get a hold of yourself! You're the only one who can hear it, so   
it must be an illusion."  
"It's not an illusion, Mercury!" Sailor Moon struggled against   
her grip. "He needs me!"  
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Mars screamed, her face folded in   
concentration. "I hear something, it's not Endymion, but something   
is coming."  
They heard it then, a soft, scraping sound like wet garbage  
bags being dragged over gravel.   
  
************  
  
"This fucking sucks," Nephrite said to no one, since there   
was exactly that many people around to talk to. He clicked off his   
cigarette lighter, trying to take in his surroundings and assess the   
situation. Boy, did I feel like a hose after I kept talking after   
everyone disappeared. The ceiling had lowered, it was only about   
fifteen feet high instead of practically limitless; it was also making   
him feel a little claustrophobic.   
Maybe I was the one who disappeared. What I would give   
right now just to know what the hell happened. Where's Mercury and   
her computer when you need her?   
Soon after, a solid wall hindered his progress, and when he   
backtracked, he ran into another wall. "What the hell?" he whispered  
placing a hand on the wall and walking parallel to it. For ten   
minutes, he followed the wall, not once hitting any sort of door   
or passageway. Once he thought he saw a glimpse of a narrow passageway   
cutting through the rock, but when he ran up to it, it wavered and   
vanished.   
"I'm boxed in," he said out loud, not caring who heard.   
There's probably nobody within earshot anyway. "SHIT!"  
"Not completely," a second voice answered from behind his  
back. Nephrite experienced a mere second of pee-yourself shock as   
he swiveled around, sword drawn.   
"You," he whispered. Anger like he'd never felt before   
flooded his mind; it wiped out any other rational thought until   
all that was left was a primitive urge to inflict harm on the   
other person until they stopped moving.   
Nephlite drew his own sword as he advanced. "What else were   
you expecting? A red-carpeted path into the Queen's throne room?"   
"Shut up," Nephrite barked. They circled each other, slowly,   
like predatory cats.   
"I just killed Jupiter a few minutes ago. Didn't you feel   
her go?"  
"Shut up," he repeated.   
"I killed her slowly. She screamed."  
"Fuck you."  
"I raped her, too. I raped her after she was dead."  
"Motherfucker, do you think I'm stupid? I'm not falling for  
any of your twisted psychological shit!"   
He attacked, landing several blows as the feeling that   
something just wasn't quite right permeated his brain. Nephlite   
slashed out, slicing his shoulder in the exact same place where   
Endymion had a thousand years ago. He hissed in pain, and threw   
a comet just in time to deflect the one that was hurtling to his   
face.   
"You think I'm playing mind games?" Nephlite laughed, even   
though half of his body was singed from Nephrite's attack.   
"I'm going to kill you," Nephrite promised, spinning and   
blocking in a way that would have made Endymion proud. "Talk   
all you want, it won't get to me." He's left-handed, that's   
what's screwing me all up! He swallowed the hard lump that had   
barnacled in his throat. Did he really kill Jupiter? God, I   
hope she's all right!   
"You're going to kill me?" Nephlite laughed, effortless   
flinging dark energy at his opponent like it was mud. Nephrite   
dodged most of it, but his body caught the afterburn and he gasped   
in pain.   
Nephlite continued, laughing as Nephrite stumbled back,   
desperately sucking in air. "But, I thought you were the one  
who was supposed to be dead." His voice fluctuated, from a   
sinister hiss of an agent of the Dark Kingdom to the gruff   
bark of a forty-something paramedic.   
" 'This one's still alive.'"   
It was no more than a parlor trick, but it worked. Nephrite   
froze for a split second, wondering how the Dark Kingdom knew as   
he remembered:  
  
His best friend. Brian Hampton. They met in first grade,   
purely by coincidence as the teacher had seated them alphabetically.   
They sat together at lunch, too, sharing Chips Ahoy and chucking   
the bananas that their respective maids had packed in their plastic   
lunch boxes, and never separated once through the years. Brian would   
go on vacations with the Haberman family, and vice versa. They   
played on the same hockey teams, all through grade school and on   
through high school. They only dated girls that liked each other,   
so that double dates wouldn't be like walking on a half inch of   
ice frozen over ten feet of water. Matt couldn't count the hours   
they spent together: playing basketball, fishing, going to clubs   
and parties, picking up girls.   
They sat next to each other at graduation, flicking at their   
green and gold tassels and waiting for it all to end, so that they   
could move out of state and dorm together at Bryce University in   
the fall, where undoubtedly they would continue to remain friends,   
even though Brian had stopped playing hockey at that point. Maybe   
they would join a fraternity.   
The kid who threw the customary graduation party lived pretty   
far away, but the trip was well worth it, since the guy's parents   
were conveniently out of town and his very large house was well stocked.   
Matt had drank until the mere thought of rising from his seat was   
an obstacle, but he didn't care. This was their night to kick back,   
forget everything, and celebrate being young, carefree, and invincible.   
"Bob just called my cell," Brian told Matt as he slumped on   
a couch, his eyes so glassy one could see his reflection in them.   
"Oh yeah? Is he coming?"   
"He's sneaking out of his house; I told him we'd come and get   
him."   
Matt couldn't have stood up if his shoes were on fire. He   
reached into his pocket and wrapped his hand around the keys to his   
father's Mercedes. "All right. Want to go now?"  
Brian pulled the keys out of Matt's hand. "What the fuck,   
dude, are you fucked up in the head? You're not driving! You can't   
even stand."   
Matt put up no argument. "I think you just want to drive a   
Mercedes, Bri."  
Somehow he made it out to the driveway, and had barely sat   
down when Brian reached over and pulled Matt's seatbelt across his   
chest. Matt had wetly grinned. "Brian, you are my best fucking friend,   
you know that?"   
"Yeah, I know," he responded, turning onto the highway.   
"No, you don't even know. You are the fucking man. You're   
always taking care of me and shit. We're going to have one fucking   
time next year, bro."  
"Yeah," Brian answered simply, flicking on the windshield wipers.   
It had started to drizzle.   
"You know everything, Bri. You're a goddamn genius. You've   
always been better than me at everything."  
"I'm a lot better looking, too."  
Matt remembered laughing thickly at that, and turning his   
head slightly to say something when the car violently lurched, like   
a roller coaster when it turns a sharp corner, and he remembered   
thinking that. It feels like a roller coaster in here.   
A flash of white hit him hard in the face; he struggled to   
breath through the clouds of choking smoke, and in a panic, he wondered   
if the car was on fire. Glass shattered dangerously close to his   
face, and then something incredibly hard struck him on the side of   
the head, knocking him out.  
The first thing he was aware of when he regained consciousness   
was his mouth and the rain falling in his eyes. He rubbed his   
tongue against the space where his front teeth had been, not   
realizing that they were gone yet, trying to assuage the throbbing   
pain in his mouth. Warm rain rolled down his face, wet and sticky.   
His eyes were closed, but he could hear, and he listened for the   
sound of rain pattering against the asphalt, and wondered why he   
could not.   
"This one's still alive!" The announcement had been shouted,   
and Matt flinched and opened his eyes, facing a pair of knees clad   
in black polyester.   
I'm sideways. he thought sluggishly, and suddenly the   
pain roared to life as if a match had been held to it. His chest   
hurt so much he could barely breath; it felt like a four hundred   
pound rock was pressing down on it and preventing his lungs from   
expanding. He started to hyperventilate. A latex-gloved hand pressed   
a plastic mask over his face, wiping away some of the rain that   
was pouring down his face. It was red.   
The rain's red. His eyes dropped shut as he sank back   
down into blackness, and the last sound he heard was metal squealing   
and groaning in protest as it tore.   
He woke up a week later, minus one spleen, with a tube down   
his throat and several in his arms, and his mother's tear-streaked   
face hovering above his, her dark hair glowing like a brown halo   
against the fluorescent lights. She informed him, quite simply,   
that Brian was dead. He hadn't been stone-cold sober like Matt   
had previously thought, nor was he wearing a seat belt when he   
drifted into oncoming traffic. Matt would have been dead if Brian   
hadn't reached over and buckled his seat belt.   
It should have been me. He thought in the weeks thereafter,   
smoking Camel after Camel through his new, false front teeth, while   
he crumpled the new dorm assignment in his fist. The faceless name   
"Zachary Straub" and a phone number blurred into black puddles as   
tears formed in his eyes. What he had said in the car in the final   
moments of Brian's life was the truth, in least in his mind. Brian   
was smarter, nicer, funnier, better than him in every way. He should   
have been the one driving.   
He hadn't told anyone about Brian, not even Lita. He told her   
he lost his teeth in a hockey fight, and the scar on his abdomen   
was from an appendectomy. Zach, the premed baseball player, had   
inquired about it the second day they lived together and hadn't   
bought the appendix excuse.   
"For real? Why's it so big? They don't usually do I-incisions   
unless it's for exploratory-"  
"They had to explore." Something in Matt's face made Zach   
drop the subject.   
  
"It should have been you," Nephlite said, extending his hand   
and sending an enormous ball of dark energy spiraling towards   
Nephrite. He countered at the very last second, but his attacks   
were growing progressively weaker as he grew wearier. Nephlite   
sensed this, and blasted an impossibly large comet, crackling   
with power.  
Nephrite was too weak and too shaken to dodge. The comet caught   
him in the chest and sent him flying across the cavern. His body   
hit the opposite wall so hard the stone cracked upon impact, and   
he slumped to the floor, gasping.   
He struggled to breathe against the crushing pain, just like he   
had felt while pinned in the wreckage of his father's Mercedes.   
He begged his body to get back up and fight, but it would not or   
could not obey. He's going to attack you again! If you don't   
get up, he'll kill you!   
What's the point? Another part of him groaned. It   
should have been you in that car. You've been living on borrowed   
time anyway.   
He breathed in gasps as another picture floated through his   
now-foggy mind. His Prince, the one he swore to give his life   
to protect, would be short one guardian, and that might mean   
the difference between life and death. He thought of Lita, Makoto,   
Jupiter, and her shining green eyes and Colgate smile, and how   
she felt in his arms. "Get up," he whispered to himself. "Get   
the fuck up."   
The tip of a sword was pressed against his throat, and he   
looked up at his double. Something's always been off about   
him; he doesn't look exactly like me. The mirror must have been   
warped.   
Nephlite smiled down at his wounded prey. "Well, you've never   
been-"  
BOOM! Nephrite put everything he had into the comet, every   
ounce of strength and love and pain that he had left in his   
body. He threw it for Endymion, for Jupiter, for Brian, for   
all of his friends that would be that much safer having one   
less Dark General in the picture.   
Nephlite's face exploded when the comet impacted, splattering   
Nephrite with a more than a gallon of blood and brains and flecks   
of bone. He shut his eyes against the grisly tidal wave,   
partially to block out the horrific scene and partially to keep  
it from falling in his eyes. He felt the now-dead body hit the   
ground like a ton of bricks.  
"Dumbass. You all fucking talk to much," he mumbled in the   
darkness, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it between his   
teeth. He leaned back against the wall and waited for his   
accelerated healing to kick in, so it would abate the throbbing   
pain in his chest. Like magic, the crack in the wall that he   
had been chasing before Nephlite appeared emerged from the shadows  
again. "If you'd just cut the crap and can all the megalomaniac   
speeches, maybe your face wouldn't be splattered all over mine."   
He coughed out a plume of smoke, and wiped away the blood that   
had appeared on his lips. "Come on, damn it, hurry up. Endymion   
needs me. How long does it take for a couple of ribs to heal?"   
  
***********  
  
"How long does it take for an arm to heal?" Kunzite tried to   
flex his elbow, gasping when assaulted by a hurricane of screaming   
nerves.   
"It's only been broken for an hour. Mine usually heal   
overnight," Endymion said, silently thanking a higher power   
for turning the lichen back on and relieving them of the   
crushing darkness. Without Nephrite, they had no chance of   
making a whit of progress with zero visibility.   
"We don't have overnight," Zoicite bitched. He had been   
the number one advocate for searching for their missing comrade,   
only to be harshly overrode by Kunzite. "Can you fight right at   
all?"   
"A little. I'm slower with the right."  
Jadeite had a simple alternative. "Then don't fight. Use   
your boomerang to blast them into kingdom come."  
Endymion, walking besides him, laughed. "Yeah, I'll back   
you up with my amazing flying shrubbery."  
No response. Endymion stopped Jadeite and turned around.   
"Kunzite?" Still nothing. "Zoicite? Answer me." Silence answered   
him. Endymion's entire chest cavity seemed to sink into the   
base of his stomach, as the feeling of defeat sunk its teeth   
deeper into his optimism. I'm getting scared now.   
Jadeite sighed, sick to death of the whole situation.   
"Shit."   
"Did they walk into one of those traps? Do you think   
they'll find Nephrite?"  
Jadeite met his eyes. "I think we just walked into   
one."   
  
***********  
  
"What-" Jupiter began, before Mercury shushed her. The visored   
Senshi typed furiously into her computer, backing slowly   
away from the escalating scraping that seemed to be heading   
straight for them.   
Mars and Venus planted themselves in front of Sailor   
Moon, prepared to attack on a moment's notice. "What is it,   
Mercury?" Mars whispered, trying to stay invisible for the   
longest time possible.   
Mercury's eyes were wide with terror. "I think it's   
Metallia."  
"What?" Venus hissed, drawing her sword. "We can't   
take her on without the others! We're sitting ducks!"  
"She's descending down a tunnel," Mercury reported.   
"I suggest that we head in the opposite direction."   
"Don't have to tell me twice," Jupiter said, pulling   
on Sailor Moon's wrist. "Let's get the hell out of here   
before the Incredible Blob finds out we're here."   
They scurried down the hall like a pack of mice,   
attempting to run on tiptoe to muffle the telltale clicking  
of their heels against the stone floor.   
Mars suddenly stopped. "Guys! What's that?" They   
gathered around.   
Venus was puzzled. "It's a door. But I don't understand;   
it wasn't here before…"   
Mercury scanned it; a dark, cathedral-like door   
anachronistically stuck in the middle of the stone wall. She   
ran her hand down the ancient wood. "If we keep going on the   
present course, we're going to hit the dark spot again. If we   
backtrack, we hit Metallia. I think we should just take our   
chances and try door number one."  
Sailor Moon shrugged. "Might as well. It's not like we   
have a lot of options open." She reached for the tarnished   
brass knob.   
Venus almost karate chopped her hand off. "What do you   
think you're doing? I'll go first." She faced her friends. "Be   
prepared to attack."   
"Gotcha," Mars affirmed, her hands glowing with heat.   
Venus took a breath and pushed the door open, softly, so   
that it didn't hit the wall and come springing back at her.   
Behind the door was a room, huge, it's ceiling so high that   
she could barely see the top. It glowed with an eerie green   
light, making their faces look distorted and sickly. An   
ostentatious throne sat in the middle, almost undignified   
in its grandiosity; the chair of someone who wanted to   
publicly advertise the power that she had stolen.   
Sailor Moon was looking at the floor, at a doggie-igloo   
like translucent dome that housed two beaten cats. "Luna!   
Artemis!" she cried, wishing she could run across the throne   
room and rescue them. Only about a hundred youma stood in   
her way.   
Venus had locked eyes with the person standing in   
front of the throne. "Beryl."  
Beryl grinned, raising her arms like a hostess   
welcoming guests. "Welcome, Sailor Senshi. I was hoping   
you'd take the bait and come through that dark spot. I had   
it blocked behind the door, Mercury, so don't start spitting   
out facts and statistics to me. You should have known better   
anyway."  
Mercury flushed with embarrassment as tears pricked at   
her sinuses. "I'm so sorry, you guys. I should have seen it."   
"It's not your fault," Sailor Moon whispered reassuringly.   
Beryl ripped her gaze from Venus and drilled it through the   
Moon Princess.   
"Sailor Moon, I see you have brought the crystal. Am   
I to understand that this will end in surrender?"  
"Hell no!" Jupiter shouted, her face screwed up in   
extreme rage. Thinking quickly, she grabbed Sailor Moon by   
the arm and threw her back through the dark spot. Sailor   
Moon had time enough to emit a thin cry before she disappeared   
through the portal.   
"You'll regret that decision, Jupiter!" Beryl screamed. She   
turned to her youma army. "Kill them. Go after the princess."   
Mercury started laughing hysterically, tears running   
down her face. "You'll have to find her first, Beryl! I just   
sealed off the dark spot!"  
Jupiter smiled, swelling with pride that Mercury had   
kept her wits and came through. "Way to go, Sailor Mercury!"   
Beryl was nonplussed. "I will find her, I promise you that."   
The youma advanced on the four Senshi, who were almost pinned   
against the wall. Mars was bloodthirsty. "Drop me near   
that bunch, would you, Venus?" She pointed to a patch of   
gray-skinned, human-looking youma without faces.   
Venus grinned. "Any more requests?"  
"Anywhere will do," Jupiter growled, cracking electricity   
along with her knuckles.   
"Drop me near the cats," Mercury added.   
"Right, then," Venus said, her cobalt eyes blazing   
with anticipation. She slowly unwrapped her chain from her   
waist. "Grab hold of me."   
Each Senshi grabbed on. "Ready?" She threw the chain   
skywards, blinding everyone with golden light. "Here we   
go!"  
They shot upwards with the chain, up over the   
youmas' heads and into the air, swinging like a quartet   
of female Tarzans. Mars let go and dropped at her desired   
designation among the faceless youma, her hands shooting   
jets of fire. "Haha! Betcha you didn't see that coming;   
you've got no eyes!"   
Jupiter and Mercury dropped down into the foray;   
Mercury cleverly fogging up the area to mask their descent.   
Venus swung like a pendulum for a few minutes, searching   
for an area that was safe to land in. A figure scurrying   
away from the battle caught her eye. She swung around and   
dislodged her chain, landing directly in front of Beryl,   
her eyes slitted with fury, her sword drawn.   
"Going somewhere?"   
Beryl was startled for a split second when the blond   
Senshi dropped in front of her, but quickly regained her   
senses. Raising one hand, she blasted dark energy at Venus,   
knocking her back a few feet, and escaped through another   
doorway.   
Venus chased after her. "Where do you think you're   
going?"   
Meanwhile, Mercury froze the energy dome encasing   
the cats and kicked it in, shattering it like a pane of   
glass. She carefully pulled Luna and Artemis through the   
jagged hole.  
"Are you guys all right?" she asked frantically, heat   
from Mars's attacks singing the backs of her legs.  
Luna gasped. "Why did you come? You've all put yourselves   
and the Princess in danger!"  
Mars tumbled by them, somersaulting on the ground while   
billowing smoke. "What, did you think we'd leave you here?"   
She ran back into her battle, leaping Bruce Lee-style with   
one heeled foot positioned in a kick.   
Mercury tucked Luna into the crook of her elbow, and   
was positioning Artemis when Jupiter screamed. "Mercury!   
Look out!"  
Mercury didn't even have time to duck. A streak of   
dark energy hit her square in the back, throwing her forward   
into a wall. She tried to twist in midair to avoid crushing   
the cats, but only succeeded in smashing her forehead   
against the rock.   
"Unh!" she grunted, slumping to the floor, unconscious,   
Luna and Artemis absorbing most of the impact.   
"Mercury!" Luna screamed, trying to wiggle out from   
Mercury's dead weight.   
Jupiter, who had been keeping one eye on Mercury   
the entire time, quickly wiped out a wave of youma and ran  
to her friend's aid. "Mercury! Are you OK?" She lifted   
Mercury as gently as she could with one hand, as the other   
was detonating bolts of lightening at the advancing front.   
Mercury's head flopped backwards limply, her visor   
cracked down the middle and a stream of blood running   
underneath. "Oh, no," Jupiter breathed. "Mars, back me up!   
Mercury's down!"  
"I can't!" Mars screamed back. The non-faced youmas   
were all but wiped out; however, a fresh wave of skinny,   
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind"-ish beings had her   
surrounded.   
Jupiter discharged more lightening. "Mercury? Can you hear   
me? Wake up; we need you!" She shook the Ice Senshi's   
head back and forth, trying to draw a response. "Mercury,   
please wake up, please!"   
Luna was in a panic of her own. Artemis hadn't immediately   
responded after she pulled him out by his scruff, and now she   
frantically batted his cataleptic body with her paws. "Artemis!   
Are you OK? Speak to me!"   
Jupiter thought briefly of slapping Mercury in the face   
before she noticed the visor. Carefully she ripped it off of   
Mercury's face and stuck it on her own. Oh God, I don't   
know how to use this! Her eyes darted around all the   
statistics around the screen, attempting to piece together   
what was vital information and what was not.   
A few minutes later, she tore it from her face and   
flung it as hard and as far away as she could, tears of   
anger and unbearable grief running hotly down her face.   
She jumped up, frying any youmas obstructing her path to   
Mars.   
"Thank God you're here! I was getting my ass   
kicked!" Mars leapt in the air, kicking a youma in the   
face.   
Jupiter pressed her back to Mars's as they   
regrouped. "Mercury's gone."   
Mars almost fell to the floor in shock. "WHAT?"   
"She's gone. Dead. So is Artemis."  
Mars shook her head. "You must be mistaken."  
"No, I'm not. I looked through her visor; she   
has no pulse. Her brain was bleeding."   
Mars shook her head. "No," she whispered, her   
voice quavering. She swallowed around the giant lump   
forming in her throat. "No, she can't be. She-"  
"She's gone, Mars." Jupiter clenched her teeth   
against the onslaught of fresh pain, wishing desperately   
to disbelieve her own words. Suddenly, she screamed,   
releasing thousands of green oak leaves that tore through   
the white youma, ripping their flesh to shreds.   
Mars grabbed her wrist and pulled her through the   
rows of falling youma, stopping only briefly to grab Luna's   
sobbing form. She ran back through the doorway, an army of   
youma chasing them.   
"Mars, wait! We can't leave Mercury behind!"   
"She's dead, Jupiter, you said so yourself. Now we   
have to find the princess."   
Jupiter swung her long arms around to gain momentum.   
"Shouldn't we land right next to her?"  
"Mercury closed the dark spot, remember?" She threw   
Luna over her shoulder and picked up speed. "We're on our   
own now. I just hope Venus knows what she's doing."  
  



	13. 13

******************************************************************  
  
Hey peeps, um, here it is, unedited, so it may suck. Thanks to   
everyone who's stuck by my so far, and i apologize about the   
length, again. Questions, comments, concerns, flames:   
Joyful Girl129@aol.com   
i do not own sailor moon or any brand name, song title, etc.   
  
  
oh and sorry about the formatting. I still have no clue.   
  
Part 13  
  
  
  
  
I am nineteen years old. I am a legal adult. I can buy   
cigarettes. I can buy porn. I can drive. I can vote; well, I could   
vote if I was an American citizen. I can buy beer in Mexico.   
Sailor Moon picked up her pace to a brisk speed-walk. So why am   
I still afraid of the dark?   
She had been wandering down the dark cavern on tiptoe, shaking   
like a leaf the entire time. Occasionally, a gross-looking bug with   
superfluous legs and antennae would scuttle by, sending her trotting   
off on her toes as quietly and as quickly as she could. I would   
rather be back in the throne room, fighting off hordes of youma,   
than be wandering in the dark in the scariest, dankest, filthiest   
cavern that could or could not be one that I just ventured down ten   
minutes ago! She nearly brushed her face against a spider   
descending down from the ceiling, and she screamed.   
Her voice echoed hollowly down the cavern, and she clapped   
her hands against her mouth. Damn, why did I just DO that? Why   
don't I just attach a huge, blinking blue light to my head like   
that K-Store or whatever and formally announce my presence to the   
entire Negaverse? Her concern over being discovered was not  
unfounded; a few minutes later, the sound of footsteps was drawing   
closer to her.   
With a slight squeal, Sailor Moon scurried behind a protruding   
rock, quivering with nerves and fright. Voices joined the footsteps,  
and, even though she could only vaguely distinguish the words   
"goddamn tunnel," and someone humming "Enter Sandman," it was enough   
to convince her.   
"You guys!" She tried to contain the volume of her enthusiastic   
scream into a strained whisper as she leapt out from her hiding place   
and threw her arms around the speaker.  
"OW! Watch the arm!"   
"Sorry!" she immediately apologized, releasing her hyperactive   
hug from Kunzite and throwing her arms around Zoicite.   
"Oh my God, you guys! I was SO lost after Jupiter threw me   
out of the throne room, and I've been wandering around for just   
about FOREVER, well, like ten minutes, and every time I turn a corner   
I expect Metallia to be on the other end, and-" She looked around.   
"Where's Endymion? And the others?"  
Zoicite sighed. "Long story. You see, we got separated after   
Nephrite disappeared-wait, back up, did you say 'Metallia'? Who let   
her out of her kennel?"  
"She was moving down a tunnel, I don't know where," she said.   
"We walked right into a dark spot and it took us into the throne room.   
Beryl was there, and-" she squirmed. "My Senshi are still in there.   
They're taking on about four hundred youma and Beryl."   
Kunzite was all ears. "Do you think you could lead us back to   
that, what did you say? Dark spot?"  
"Yeah, it's like an invisible doorway."  
Zoicite whistled. "I'd bet you my left nut that that's what   
Nephrite walked right into. Endy and Jadeite, too."   
Kunzite had a one-track mind. "Take us back to the throne room."  
"Sure. I have a bone to pick with Jupiter. She has this idea   
that I have to be protected from everything from baby youma to paper   
cuts." She led the way back down the tunnel.   
Zoicite was smiling. "You are the Princess, hon. It is their   
duty to protect you."   
"I know, but once in awhile I would like a chance to-" Sailor   
Moon stopped completely, letting Kunzite bump into her back. Her   
face drained of blood until it was paper-white, including her lips,   
which quivered dangerously as tears ran out of her eyes and splashed   
down her ashen cheeks.   
"Sailor Moon?" Kunzite asked her, shaking her slightly with   
his good arm. "What's wrong? What happened?" She didn't respond.   
"Princess?"   
She remained silent, but reached up with one trembling hand   
and ran her fingers over her crystal. It shimmered with white light for a  
brief second, and then faded. About half of the previous color returned   
to her cheeks, and she shook her head slightly and met the extremely concerned   
gaze of two young men.   
"You OK?" Zoicite asked gently, looking as though he would pass out   
from nerves.   
She wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I just got a little spooked   
for a second." She forced a smile. "It's nothing."  
"You said that right before you passed out drunk in my car last week,"   
Kunzite said.   
"I'm OK, I'm serious, and it's not important, anyway. The Senshi need   
our help."   
They all but ran down the corridor. "Now I know you're lying," Zoicite   
said as he fell in step with her. "How else would you know they're in trouble?"   
In response, she suddenly collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably as she   
brushed her fingers against her brooch again, setting off the same transient  
glow. Zoicite picked her up off the floor and began carrying her.  
"Sailor Moon." Kunzite's voice was so insistent that she picked her   
head off of Zoicite's shoulder and met his stare. "Tell me what happened   
or I'm going to have to interrogate you, and that will just be unpleasant   
for all parties. Please, tell me what happened."   
She blinked away more tears as she stared into his eyes, gray and   
hard as steel nails. Her face creased into a ghost of a smile. "I'm sorry,   
Kunzite, but I can't tell you that yet. You'll understand soon."  
"That's bullshit. Tell me now."  
Her face fell, and Kunzite mentally berated himself for being so   
harsh with her. All I need now is a closed room with a two-way mirror   
and a spotlight, and then I could rightly claim my title as the World's   
Biggest Ass. Why don't I just beat her up and take her lunch money, too?   
Her gentle voice snapped him out of his internal funk. "I'm not mad   
at you, Kunzite. I realize that you're just doing your job, but I'm serious   
when I say I really can't tell you. You know that if I would, I could,   
but I can't. I'm sorry." Kunzite looked at her face and wondered why she   
suddenly looked so tired.   
"Wait, stop," she ordered. "I think the dark spot's around her   
somewhere." She slid out of Zoicite's arms and began wandering around.   
"Yes, I think it's here."  
Zoicite's face was a mask of fury. "Let's go."  
  
************  
  
"Really, now, do you think she's OK?" Endymion asked for the four   
hundredth time in the last ten minutes. Jadeite rolled his eyes.   
"She is all right, she is fine, she is unharmed, she has four   
dangerous chicks looking out for her," he replied automatically. "If you   
let yourself dwell on it, you're going to drive yourself crazy."   
"I'm already driving myself crazy," Endymion muttered, trying not   
to slip and fall on the slimy floor. Somewhere along the way, the ground   
became increasingly damper until the rock was covered with a film of   
moisture that was almost suicidal to walk on. He had slipped on it once   
already, his feet comically shooting out in front of him as he reflexively   
grabbed Jadeite and took him down, too. His ass still hurt from the   
ungracious impact.   
Jadeite sniffed heavily. "Smell that?"  
"What, mildew? Yeah, I've been smelling that since we got here."   
"No, not that. It smells…gross."  
It was Endymion's turn to roll his eyes. "Have you forgotten that   
we're in perhaps the filthiest place in the universe besides your bathroom?   
It's not like they have a cleaning service here."  
Jadeite broke protocol and punched him in the arm. "It smells   
like money."  
"Money?" He briefly pondered over Jadeite's mental state.   
"You know, like how your hand smells after you handle loose   
change."  
"You mean, metallic?"  
"Dirty metallic."  
Endymion inhaled. "I can smell it now, too. Where's it coming from?"   
Jadeite edged himself along the wall. "Over here, I think. Hey,   
come and look?"  
"What?" Endymion half-stumbled, half-slid over to Jadeite.   
"Look." A few feet in front of them, the wall in effect creased   
and folded into itself, forming a gap running parallel into the wall,   
big enough for a human body to wiggle through. The blackness inside was   
as thick as crude oil.  
Jadeite stuck his head in the crack. "Hello?" His voice was muffled,   
like screaming in a padded room. He backed out. "Endymion, it smells   
like cigarettes in there."  
"Are you sure?" He shoved himself in front of Jadeite and deeply   
inhaled. "You're right."  
Jadeite flashed his patented "who-gives-a-shit" grin as he passed   
Endymion. "Smells just like Camel Turkish Golds."  
"Six bucks a pack," Endymion added, his own face breaking into a   
smile as a tidal wave of relief flooded his body. "Who's insane enough   
to blow that much cash on cancer?"  
They snaked down the narrow chasm, blinking in shock as it opened   
into an enclosed room with jagged rocks lining the walls. The first thing   
Endymion noticed was what appeared to be a liberal amount of red paint   
splashed on the walls.   
"Neph!" Jadeite shouted triumphantly, jumping over a prone body   
to which he took little notice and running to his friend, who was slumped   
heavily against a far wall. "Nephrite, you wasted Resident Evil! Good   
for you, bro! You hurt?"   
Endymion eyes were locked on the cigarette resting between two of   
Nephrite fingers. All but an inch was gray ash, holding the shape of the   
cylinder that it had once existed in. It had slowly burned itself out,   
leaving a residue that kept its form from immobility. "Jadeite," Endymion   
whispered, holding back the sudden urge to vomit.   
Jadeite shook Nephrite's shoulder. "You OK, bro?" Nephrite entire   
body shook from the momentum, and he never lifted his head up. "Nephrite,   
are you hurt? Wake up." He lifted Nephrite's chin, flinching when he   
noticed the blood staining his lips. His eyes were clamped shut; dark   
purplish bruises had formed in arcs around the socket. "Nephrite! What's   
wrong? Say something, dude. Nephrite!" He shook harder, desperate now   
to shake Nephrite out of his coma.   
Endymion stepped over the mangled corpse of a former Dark Kingdom   
general and stood over Jadeite. Reaching down, he pressed his fingers   
against Nephrite's neck. "Oh no. Oh shit. Shit."  
Jadeite pressed his hands over his face and rubbed. "He's dead,   
isn't he?" His voice cracked mid-sentence.   
"There's no pulse." Endymion hid behind technical terms, even as   
his head ached from emotion.   
Jadeite stared down at his hands, his eyes devoid of their   
characteristic spark. He swallowed hard several times. "No. No way. This   
is bullshit. This wasn't supposed to fucking happen. Endy, this wasn't   
supposed to happen!"   
"It wasn't supposed to happen the first time around, too,"   
Endymion whispered, tears pooling in his lower eyelids. The mental   
image of Matt, alive, well and smiling as he took a drag off of his   
cigarette, bounced around in the confines of his skull. I'm sorry,   
my friend. Thank you.   
It was an honor, my Prince. Nephrite's voice echoed back.   
Jadeite stood suddenly, staring off into space. He looked like   
a bloodhound that had just picked up the scent of game across a field.  
"What's going on?" Endymion inquired.  
His voice was a strained whisper. "Did you hear that?"  
"Hear what?"   
"SHH!" Jadeite hissed, focusing on the ceiling. "Something's   
here." He turned his head to Endymion, never once lowering his gaze.   
"Something, I just can't tell what."  
"What-"  
"Get out," Jadeite interrupted, his face darkening. His hair   
darkened until it was the color of coal tar, his eyes deepened into   
orbs of cobalt. Endymion watched as his face wavered and then slipped   
into the features that he saw in the mirror every morning.   
"No," Endymion gasped, realizing Jadeite's plan. "Jadeite, I   
can't let-"  
"GET OUT!" Jadeite shouted in Endymion's voice. He grabbed his   
Prince's arm and all but threw him back in the passageway. "Go! Find   
the others! Get out of here!"  
"I'm not leaving you!"   
Jadeite's expression was downright murderous. Endymion had never   
seen him this way, and he found it extremely unnerving. "Endymion,   
your Princess needs you. Go to her." He raised his hand and blasted   
the rock above the entranceway, collapsing the structure and blocking   
the doorway with rubble.   
Endymion stared in disbelief at the blocked doorway. "Thank   
you, too, Jadeite." With that, he turned on heel and ran.   
  
************  
"Cop killer…I know his family's grievin'…  
  
-Ice T & Body Count  
"Cop Killer"  
  
"God, I hate these heels!" Mars screamed, throwing fire over her   
shoulder at the advancing youma.   
"Now's not the time to be complaining about footwear selection,   
Mars," Jupiter panted, slinging Luna over her back like a sack of potatoes.  
"You think I want to battle in pumps? If it was up to me, I'd be   
kicking youma ass with the toe of my brand-new Sketcher."  
Jupiter flipped a handful of lightening backwards. "What I wouldn't   
give for Mercury's visor right about now." It still hurt to mention   
Mercury, and Jupiter's stomach fell whenever she though of her friend   
lying on the ground, lifeless. Luna hadn't uttered a word since they   
had barreled out of the throne room, but a steady stream of water   
ran out of her ruby eyes like a broken faucet.   
They ran on, occasionally firing an attack into the wave of   
youma, reducing the bunch by a few members. Mars had her head turned   
when the three of them ran through the dark spot.   
Jupiter experienced the shock of her life when Kunzite, Zoicite,   
and Sailor Moon suddenly popped up directly in front of her, and by   
their equally astonished expressions, she knew that it was quite a   
scare for them, too. "Holy shit!" She regained enough of her bearing   
to bark out a warning. "Run, guys! We're being chased by youma!"   
Kunzite grabbed a flabbergasted Mars before she had a chance to   
collide with his arm. She let out a muffled squawk as he thrust her   
towards Sailor Moon. "Mars, you and Zoicite get the Princess out of   
here. Jupiter and I will hold them off."  
Mars nodded, squelching a million questions about the rest of   
the group's whereabouts as she lifted Luna off of Jupiter's shoulders.   
"Come on." The trio took off down the corridor.   
Bolts of lightening crackled off of Jupiter's skin; her eyes   
were slits of green fire. "Ready to do some damage, Kunzite?"   
He straightened his injured arm, thankful that it had healed   
enough for him to hold a sword without assaulting him with a thousand   
needles of pain. "Let's get it on."   
They attacked with the fury of a hurricane, cutting down rows   
and rows of youma, green leaves and lightening slashing through the   
air along with a white boomerang that cut anything in its path in half.   
The ground shook from the impact of stray magic and dead youma falling   
to the wrath of two severely enraged soldiers.   
Jupiter gave a shout of jubilation. "I think we're getting   
somewhere!" The horde of youma had thinned to a mere ten or fifteen   
that remained standing, unaware that they was a lost cause. She sent   
another Oak Evolution tornado-ing towards a clutch of purple-skinned   
females, shredding the flesh from their scalps.   
"Damn right we are. These guys are almost no challenge." With   
a swing of his sword, he felled the last youma. "Alright, let's go   
find the others. Endymion, Nephrite, and Jadeite are still missing,   
and where's Mercury? Is she going after Beryl, too?" He ran his sword   
through the ribcage of an injured youma writhing on the ground.   
"Well? Jupiter?"  
A chilling laugh caused his head to snap up. Zoycite smiled   
from behind Jupiter's head as he pressed a crystal spear against her   
throat. "I'm sorry, Head General, but Mercury's nothing but a memory   
now, just as this overgrown Amazon will soon be."   
Jupiter had lost her bravado and was beginning to sob, tears   
running down her terrified face. "I'm sorry," she whispered, gasping   
when Zoycite jabbed the tip of his spear into the delicate skin of   
her neck.  
"Let her go," Kunzite growled, internally panicking but   
determined not to let Zoycite find out. Jupiter's life now depended   
on him. He clutched his sword in both hands, holding it up and   
away from him.   
Jupiter saw Malachite skulking out of the shadows behind him,   
and her throat seized up as she repressed the urge to scream.   
Zoycite jerked her towards him, his grip on her arm like an iron   
vice. "Don't say a word, Sailor brat, or I'll cut your goddamn   
throat."  
Jupiter closed her eyes momentarily as a wave of tranquility   
washed over her, wiping away her fear like the tide washes away   
lovers' names etched in the sand. Everything melted away, Zoycite,   
his lethal crystal, Kunzite, Malachite, the Negaverse, the world.   
Serena's face swam behind her eyelids, the face of her Princess,   
the one person she had sworn her life to protect. This is   
for you, Princess. I wouldn't do anything less for you.   
She opened her mouth, unaware that she was smiling. "KUNZITE!   
BEHIND-" Her words were cut off as the crystal neatly   
sliced through her vocal chords.   
Time seemed to slow for Kunzite; he watched as blood erupted   
out of Jupiter's throat like a burst water balloon. It was an   
eternity between Jupiter slumping to the ground like a rag doll   
to him swiveling around and deflecting a pair of boomerangs that  
were on a collision course for his head.   
Malachite gloated at him. "Looks like Jupiter's out of   
the picture." He drew a sword, longer and thinner than Kunzite's.   
"Annoying Sailor Brat. Maybe if she hadn't said anything, we   
might have let her go."  
Kunzite didn't respond as he kept his eyes trained on   
Malachite. Malachite laughed. "That arm looks a little bad, w  
hy don't I remove it for you."  
"Bring it," Kunzite snarled, rushing at his opponent. He   
drew first blood, slashing a deep gash into Malachite's arm.   
"Now we're even." He swiveled around, surprising Zoycite, who   
had been sneaking up on him, and stabbed him in the stomach.   
Zoycite emitted a high-pitched scream and dropped his sword.   
"Malachite!" The effeminate general whimpered; his face   
screwed up in pain. Studying him, Kunzite was honestly surprised   
that he had ever compared the Dark Kingdom general to his friend   
and comrade. Zoycite was as willowy as a southern debutante, his   
facial features exceedingly female. Zoicite's build was much broader   
and developed, and his face, although pretty-boy, was definitely   
masculine. Zoycite looked like the only thing that he shaved were   
his legs.   
Kunzite hardly noticed Zoycite staggering off to the side,   
holding his gut and sniveling. One down, one to go.   
Malachite's face was a block of pure malice. "You'll pay for   
that."   
Kunzite grinned back arrogantly. "I'll be the one collecting."   
"Prove it, Head General." His right arm drooped a little as   
he swung his sword in circles.   
Alarms went off in Kunzite's head. Right hand. Right   
hand! "I know where you came from," he spat, ignoring the   
sharp pain in his elbow. "You're right-handed. I'm not."  
Zoycite was groaning in the corner. Malachite glanced at   
him briefly before trying something different. "I can kill   
cops with either hand, General."  
Kunzite nearly froze. "What?"  
Malachite chuckled. "Shot him right in the head. I knew  
better to aim for the flak jacket, even though I could have   
killed him regardless. The people of Earth weren't aware of   
our existence back then, so I made it look like he was just   
another pig dusted off on the job."   
"You're not getting to me," Kunzite said,   
  
  
…even though he was back in that hospital in Boston,   
swinging his feet under the blue plastic waiting room chair   
as his mother sobbed on the shoulder of a uniformed policeman.   
The place was filled with uniforms, all of them with their   
heads bowed and their eyes bloodshot. Mike, his father's partner,   
sat down next to him, his face red and swollen like someone   
had recently scrubbed it with a washcloth.   
"Look what I gaht," Kevin had said, holding out a red-  
painted, metal toy car. "I have a blue cah like this, too."   
Years of California had diminished his accent to a shell of   
its former self, but at the age of four, it was as thick as   
head on a glass of Killian's.   
Mike had stretched a tight smile under his pencil-thin   
mustache. "That's great, Kevin. I have to tell you something."  
"Why's Mommy crying?" Kevin stared directly into Mike's   
eyes with such intensity that Mike nearly lost his nerve.   
"Uh, well, that's what I have to tahlk to you about. Um,   
something happened today and your Dad got really hurt…"  
Kevin had only retained that single conversation from the   
entire experience, that and how his mother had completely shut   
down after the funeral. She would sit at the kitchen table for   
hours on end, weeping, with a box of tissues and a carton of   
Marlboros, smoking one after the other and stuffing Kleenex into   
the pockets of her robes.  
"Leave me alone for a little while, please, Kev? Go play   
or something."  
Two years had passed that way, Kevin playing by himself   
while his mother tore the phone out of the wall and dead bolted   
the front door, trying to cut off the outside world so she could   
be alone with her pain. It took an older woman in a maroon suit   
and a piece of paper to get into the house and sit at the table,   
prissily waving away clouds of smoke from Marie's burning cigarette.   
She asked why Kevin wasn't enrolled in school, why he wasn't up   
on his immunizations, why the phone and cable were turned off,   
over and over until Kevin wanted to throw her out of the house   
so his mother would stop crying. The following week, he boarded   
a plane for the first time and landed eight hours later on the   
other end of the United States, where it was sixty five degrees   
in mid-March, as far away from that hospital waiting room as   
he could geographically get.   
  
***********  
  
"You didn't even exist back then."  
Malachite raised one eyebrow. "I didn't exist back then? Of course   
I existed; I didn't die and be reborn, as you did. I've   
resided in the Dark Kingdom for over a thousand years."  
"So why?" Kunzite demanded, landing blow after blow on   
Malachite's sword. "How?"  
"I'm much more than just a Dark Kingdom general," Malachite   
said, his voice jarringly smooth. "I can exist in more than one form.   
The Dark Kingdom has survived this long by stealing human energy.   
When we couldn't physically go out and drain our victims, we would   
let someone else do it for us. Humans release their entire store of   
energy when they are killed."  
Kunzite saw it then, saw it in the flat glint of Malachite's   
eyes. Metallia was in him, just as she was in every being of the Dark   
Kingdom. They didn't exist independently; they were vessels for pure   
evil, evil that existed in so many forms but still was just one entity.   
Metallia. She was evil. There was no way to kill her, because evil   
had existed in the world since the beginning of time, and even if   
they got her this time, she would be back.   
Faces and names raced through his head. Hitler. Nero. Stalin.   
Pol Pot. McVeigh. Caligula. Pinoche. Bin Laden.   
Charles Green. The man convicted of shooting his father, who   
was presently awaiting execution on death row.   
"My God," he breathed, thinking of the evil that would never   
be destroyed, just recycled thousands of times in thousands of different   
forms.  
"God," Malachite scoffed, seemingly amused by the very idea.   
"A foolish notion created by foolish minds. Did your gods save the   
earth when the Dark Kingdom invaded and the entire planet was wiped   
out? The Goddesses couldn't save even one single, pathetic planet,   
much less the entire solar system. They bled to death on the palace   
stairs along with the idiot common people who had elevated them to   
deity.   
Where was your higher power when you died in the camps, hmm?   
Did you pray to your God to save your life then? If you did, he   
obviously wasn't listening, or never cared in the first place.   
Or maybe he never existed."   
This is way too much for me to take in at one time.   
Kunzite rightly thought as he ducked out of the way of purple   
boomerangs. He pushed all of the new concerns out of his mind,   
just as he had always done, in almost every life he had existed   
in, and simply fought.   
He pushed them away: the camps, where he had died before   
being born as General Kunzite of the Silver Millennium. They   
had all died in those camps, even Endymion, only he wasn't a   
prince then, none of them were, they had just had the misfortune   
to be living on Earth during the reign of a maniac. He had prayed   
then, prayed to die rather then watch another one of his friends   
be executed seemingly at random, or seeing hundreds of bodies   
being burned in pits, all the time with that hated brand on his   
hand, the one that marked him as a Magic Person. He had prayed   
to be one of those incinerated bodies.   
He was forced to take the defense as Malachite viciously   
attacked, slowly advancing him almost against the wall. Throwing  
his sword into his good hand, he pulled his boomerang out and   
slashed it at Malachite, tearing a hole across his chest. Malachite   
gasped, blood pouring down his body.   
Kunzite lifted his sword. "See you in hell," he said, and   
then wondered why he suddenly couldn't breathe anymore. He staggered   
back; a warm waterfall spilled down his front. No. I have to   
help them. Venus. Endymion. Serenity.   
Zoycite stumbled over to Malachite, still grasping the   
jagged ice crystal, which was soaked in blood. "Is it deep? Did   
he hurt you?"   
Malachite shook his head and grasped the other man's hand.   
"It's nothing." He grinned at Kunzite, who had sank to his knees,  
one hand pressed against his bleeding neck. "Thank you, my love."   
"Anytime," Zoycite smirked, laughing out loud when Kunzite   
finally slumped over, his eyes remaining open in death. It had   
taken less than a minute for him to expire, but the entire time,   
Kunzite hadn't believed he was dying.   
  
***********  
  
"NO!" Sailor Moon screamed. "NO, GOD, PLEASE!" Zoicite and Mars   
caught her as she stumbled and fell in their arms. Her face   
crumpled as she began sobbing so hard her chest ached.   
"Sailor Moon!" Mars hauled her up by one arm. "This isn't   
the time to break down. Get a hold of yourself!"  
She lifted her head, her eyes speaking of unimaginable   
grief. "Mars, they got them both."  
"What?" Zoicite asked, silently pleading for her to report   
something different that what he thought.   
She gulped. "They're dead. Jupiter and Kunzite. They're gone."   
Mars shook her head, refusing to believe. "How do you   
know?"   
I can't tell her. I shouldn't have even said this much.   
"I can sense it," she explained simply, not knowing what else   
to say.   
Zoicite was choking up. "Sailor Moon? Who else did you   
sense dying?"   
She hugged him. "Artemis. Nephrite. Mercury."  
His stomach turned into a block of ice. "No."  
"I-I'm can't do this anymore, I can't!" she sobbed. "I'll   
just give Metallia the crystal, I'll surrender! I can't have   
another one of you die on me!"   
Mars repressed the fresh wave of nausea that assaulted her.  
"No, you're not. That would be the end of all of us. That would   
be the end of the world." Her nerves picked up. "I sense something   
coming; it's definitely evil. We're in danger here."  
Zoicite put himself back together, even though his expression   
was still devastated. His green eyes shone with anguish. "Princess.   
You have to get out of here."  
She pushed him away. "No. I'm not leaving you guys again."   
"Yes, you are," Mars said, grabbing her arm and pushing her   
down the hallway. "You're our only hope, Princess. You're our only   
chance at beating this thing."  
"But-"  
"GO!" Mars screamed. She thrust Luna into Sailor Moon's arms.   
The cat hung limply, endless tears streaming out of her eyes.   
"Please, I know you love us, but we have to protect you! Get out   
of here!"  
Sailor Moon turned and unsteadily started running, tears   
pouring down her face. "I love you guys," she whispered as she   
ran, clutching Luna in her arms. "I love you all. I promise that   
I'll fix this. I'll bring you all back. I love you. I love you."   
It became a chant for her, almost a prayer. "I love you. I'm doing  
this for you. I promise I won't fail you. I love you.  
I love you."   
Meanwhile, Mars and Zoicite prepared themselves for the literal   
fight of their lives. "Stay away from that side," Mars warned,   
pointing to where the ground jutted up in strange piles. "That's   
where I planted to land mines. Once wrong step and you're flambéed."  
"I'll keep that in mind," Zoicite said wryly, his concentration   
ripped to shreds at the news of his beloved's demise. Oh God,   
Mercury. You can't be dead. Please don't be dead. Wait for me,   
please. I'll save you, I promise.   
Malachite and Zoycite apparated in mid-air, and, to Mars's   
personal pleasure, both were battered and bleeding. "Oh look, it's   
what's left of the cavalry," Zoycite sneered, running one hand around   
Malachite's waist. "I don't think these two will be much of a challenge."  
"Think again, asshole." Zoicite's ice crystals sailed through   
the air, each the size of a baseball bat.  
Malachite held one hand up, and the crystals shattered against   
the dome that had popped up. "Pitiful. At least I gave the other   
two a fighting chance, but I don't think I'll play that fairly   
this time around." He waved away a wall of flame. "Nice try, Mars.   
You're not hurting."  
"FUCK YOU!" she screamed. "Flame Sniper!" Her flaming arrow   
went down in just that: flames.   
A blast of dark energy sent them both flying against the   
wall. "You OK, Mars?" Zoicite groaned, pulling himself off of   
the ground.  
She rubbed the back of her skull, where a goose egg was   
forming. "I've been better."  
"Me too." They threw themselves sideways as a barrage of   
dark energy pounded into the spot that they had lain just moments   
ago.  
"Just to warn you," Mars coughed, waving away clouds of   
dust. "They're going to try to mess with you psychologically to   
get you off guard. They've already gone through my mother's death   
and my father's abandonment, and everything else in between.   
Hope you don't have any skeleton's in the proverbial closet."  
"Uh, well-"  
"But he does," Zoycite interrupted. "In fact, Zoicite,   
wasn't the linen closet your choice of hideouts when your father   
came home?"  
"Here it comes," Mars groaned, desperately hurling fireballs   
at the Dark Kingdom generals.   
Zoicite threw more crystals. "It was a coat closet, thank   
you very much."  
"A coat closet, then," Malachite shrugged, sending a wave   
of energy that sent Mars and Zoicite to their knees. "You would   
hide while your father beat your worthless drug addict mother so   
badly she had to crawl back to her bedroom. "  
"Zoicite, don't fucking listen to them!" Mars warned. She   
gasped as dark energy invaded her lungs.  
"They found you in the closet when she overdosed, didn't   
they? You saw the entire thing through the crack in the door."  
Zoicite attacked with renewed vigor, trying to bury the   
image of his mother lying motionless on the kitchen floor,   
partially naked, a needle dangling loosely from her arm. He had   
watched her for hours through that crack in the door, waiting   
for her to move. The officer who found him hiding in the closet   
broke down in tears.   
"You saw the whole thing, didn't you, kid?"  
Zach had nodded.  
Mars's voice broke through his thoughts. "Zoicite! I'm   
serious! Don't fucking listen to them!"   
He shook his head, snapping out of it. "You're right, Mars."   
They were thrown against the wall again, this time hard   
enough to crack it unevenly. "We can't keep this up much longer,"   
Zoicite groaned. "Got any ideas?"  
Mars set a new personal record by firing several Flame   
Snipers at once. "Just one." She ran it by him.   
Zoicite was aghast. "That's-"  
"Yeah, it is."  
Mercury's face ran through his head. "We have no other   
choice, do we?"  
"Not really," Mars confirmed. Oh God, I'm sorry, Serenity.   
I have to do this. Tell Jadeite I love him.   
He sighed. "Well then, let's bring down the fucking house."  
They stood together, two warriors facing two demons. "You're  
going straight to hell, bastards," Mars hissed. Zoycite chuckled.   
"Ready?" Zoicite whispered.   
Mars lifted her chin, her eyes proud. "Let's."  
"One."  
"Two."  
"Three!" She poured every ounce of energy into her Flame   
Sniper, and fired it under Zoycite.  
For you, Amy. Zoicite's ice crystal pierced the ground   
under Malachite at the same time as Mars's flaming arrow impacted   
under Zoycite. They both threw bulls eyes, each attack hitting   
one of the burnt mounds that Mars had buried earlier.   
Malachite and Zoycite were incinerated in the explosion,   
which then proceeded to take out half of the ceiling along with   
the Dark Kingdom generals. The rubble set off a chain reaction,   
setting off other land mines like car bombs.   
Zoicite instinctively pulled Mars to him as the ceiling   
above them collapsed, foolishly thinking that his body could   
protect her from the ton of rubble raining down on them. They   
squeezed their eyes shut and clung to each other, seeking   
comfort in the final moments of their lives.  
  
***********  
  
"Endymion," the voice hissed in the shadows. Jadeite   
turned slowly towards it.   
Jedite drifted to the ground, his sword drawn. "So strange   
of you to travel without your guardians."  
"I feel I'm less conspicuous without my entourage, thank   
you," Jadeite bullshitted. "I'm sure that if this was LAX or   
something, I would think differently, but-"  
Jedite pounced on him, sword swinging. "I know it's you,   
Jadeite. Your charade is pathetic, at best."  
Jadeite let his face return to normal. "I'm that bad? Damn!   
How am I ever going to scam my way into the Playboy mansion if   
can't get past one Dark Kingdom fudge-packer?" He struck, nearly   
slicing off Jedite's sword arm. He fell.   
Jadeite jumped on him, slashing wildly. Somehow, the Dark   
Kingdom general managed to finagle out from under him, and they   
resumed their fight while standing.   
Jadeite ran at the wall and flipped over, Matrix-style.   
Always wanted to do that. His sword crashed against Jedite's.   
"No one liked you in that family," Jedite said, limping.   
"The only person that loved you was your grandfather, and then   
he died on you-"  
POW! A blast of white smoke threw Jedite across the room,   
frying off most of the flesh from his body like bacon in a pan.   
Jadeite crept over, tensing himself for that horror-flick   
moment when the presumably dead body would sit up and continue   
fighting. Freddy's never dead. After a few uneventful minutes,   
he prodded it with his toe, sword held to Jedite's throat just   
in case he decided to pull a Michael Meyers. Nothing happened.   
Jadeite grinned, grabbed his junk, and thrust his crotch   
at the fallen body. "Ungh! Talk is cheap, motherfucker. I fucking   
kicked your ass! You would have had a better chance pulling a   
gun and shooting me than pulling up all that shit. I'm too smart   
for that." He glanced over at Nephrite's body, and the familiar   
rush of unbearable pain rushed through his mind and formed   
tears in his eyes.   
***********  
  
"I don't think so!" Venus screamed, throwing her Love-Me   
Chain across the room and hooking Beryl by her waist before she   
could disappear through a dark spot.   
Beryl whipped around, hand extended, blasting black   
lightening at Venus. It met with a golden heart in midair, and   
the two powers crashed together, battling for dominance. Beryl   
poured her strength behind her lightening, teeth gritted with   
effort, and when the golden heart advanced back a few feet, she   
let out a squawk of triumph. She poured more energy through her   
hands, and the heart disintegrated and flew apart like paper.   
Beryl was halfway to celebrating when she realized there   
was no body left behind.  
"Behind you, you dumb bitch," a voice whispered right in   
her ear. Something heavy hit her in the back, and she fell to   
the ground, crying out in pain.   
Venus stood above her like an angel, but her expression   
was hard and blank like no other angel ever stained on church   
glass. She held the tip of her sword against Beryl's throat.   
"Don't fucking move."  
Beryl's face turned cold again. "How fortunate for you,   
Venus, you've managed to catch me off guard. Be assured that it   
won't happened again." A sword, as black as Venus's was white,   
materialized in her hand and she struck.   
Venus easily gained the upper hand. "When did you learn   
sword fighting, Beryl? I didn't think court ladies were taught   
much more than ballroom dancing and knitting those irritating   
lacy doily things."   
"There's much to me that you would never understand, Sailor   
Brat."   
"I know that you're not very good," Venus replied, striking   
Beryl's sword out of the way and kicking her in the stomach.   
"And don't you ever, EVER talk down to me again! You're two whole   
years older then me, Beryl. Don't think you're above us in any   
way."  
"Aren't I?" Beryl laughed. "Look at me, look at my position   
during the Silver Millennium. I was nobody; I was merely there for   
decoration in the palace! I don't think that the King even knew   
my name. And I alone ascended to the throne of the Dark Kingdom;   
I conquered the solar system and destroyed the Moon Kingdom and   
Queen Serenity. I became the most powerful being under Metallia,  
and I still continue to reign even after the Silver Millennium   
became a distant memory.   
And what happened to you, Venus? You were a goddess back   
then, you had mortals building temples to you and praying and   
sacrificing to you. You were worshipped, all of you. And now   
you're nothing more than a bunch of silly girls, so insignificant   
that I could never even find out your identities. I created disasters   
in every major city around the world, waiting for you to come to   
me. I knew you would be protecting the Moon Princess."  
Venus struck with her Crescent Beam, singeing off a lock of   
Beryl's maroon hair. "You have no power, Beryl," she sneered. "The  
only reason you became anything was because Metallia was looking   
for someone as empty and as hateful as the High Leader to cause  
mass destruction again, and you were just in the right place   
at the right time. I guess she decided to keep it in the family."  
"My grandfather was a great man," Beryl said, swinging her   
sword over Venus's head, causing her to duck lest she lose her   
cranium. "Metallia blessed him just as she blessed me."  
Venus outright laughed. "Blessed? You have got to be kidding   
me; your grandfather was a fucking monster. He had the blood of   
four million Magic Persons on his hands."  
Beryl fought back Venus's blows, her composure slowly chipping   
away and more of a scared girl was being revealed. "They were   
collateral. The High Leader sought a pure Earth."  
"Bullshit. The only good things about his reign were Selene   
taking everyone to the moon and his overthrow. I wish I had been  
born earlier, during his second reign on Earth, when he came back   
as that German guy. It was sick the way he built the camps in the   
same place as during the Cleansing. I would have loved to been   
alive back then, so I could kill him with my bare hands."  
Dark energy swirled in Beryl's hands. Venus kissed her palm,   
sending another heart hurling towards Beryl. This one struck her   
head on.   
Beryl dropped to her knees, one hand pressed against her   
forehead and her face screwed up in an expression much like anguish.   
Something flickered behind Venus's eyes, and in that instant, she   
remembered her secret rendezvous to Earth, and what Beryl was like   
before Metallia's poison infected her.   
Why now? her mind cried. Why am I remembering this   
now? Why does this have to be even harder? She remembered Beryl's   
face lighting up whenever Endymion was mentioned, the way her eyes   
sparkled like a prism held to the sun when she lost herself in   
thought. Venus remembered the young Beryl, the noble Beryl, and   
the Beryl who helped her search the gardens for the Moon Princess.   
"Oh, I saw a girl with silver hair just like that! She was   
wandering around the gardens, staring at the flowers like she's never   
seen one before! Here, let me show you the way."   
"I hate you," Beryl rasped, green blood leaking out from the   
corner of her mouth. "I hate you all. I can't think of anything more   
I'd like to do than kill you all."  
Venus held her sword in front of her. "Why are you filled with   
hate, Beryl? We never meant to hurt you."  
"Yes, you did!" Beryl suddenly screamed; the insanity that   
had been simmering under her skin came rushing to the surface. "I   
thought you all were harmless, even the Moon Princess! I never imagined   
that you would steal all that I wanted in my life, the very reason I   
lived! I never thought you'd steal Endymion away from me!" She burst   
into hysterical sobs and covered her face with her hands, temporarily   
abandoning the fight.  
"You girls had everything," Beryl sobbed. "You were goddesses on   
top of being princesses. You were rich, beautiful, smart, and had half  
of the Earth worshipping you. You were loved. You had lovers. What could   
you possibly understand about being invisible?"  
"It wasn't all like that," Venus weakly offered, even though she   
knew that Beryl was speaking the truth. What had she been lacking in   
the Silver Millennium? In retrospect, she had been comfortable, beautiful,   
admired, revered. Lonely until she met Kunzite. Bored until she had   
discovered the Earth. Frustrated only when she had to pose for paintings.   
"Yes it was!" Beryl gasped. "You were Magic, too. You could make   
anything happen."  
"No!" She broke in. "Beryl, it wasn't like that! I couldn't do   
anything I wanted at anytime! I couldn't break laws."  
"I prayed to you," Beryl whispered. "I prayed to you, Venus. I   
prayed that you would give me Endymion."  
She swallowed, remembering the whispered incantations floating up   
from her Prayer Fountain. "Venus, help me, please. I'm in love with   
someone, and I think he loves someone else…"   
"What if it was Serenity who was praying?" She pressed her lips   
together. "What if someone was praying to take Endymion away from you?   
Would you want that?"   
She actually felt a shimmer of humanity pass through Beryl as the   
dark queen's face wavered and tears dripped down her chin. "You don't   
know," the Dark Queen whispered, wavering back into Beryl the scared,   
confused girl for a moment. She turned her face to Venus's. "What other   
choice did I have? How was I supposed to feel?"  
Venus stepped up to her. "You were jealous. You let that jealousy   
get out of control."  
"But I loved him! I loved him more than anything in the world!   
How could that be wrong?"  
"Your feelings weren't wrong, your actions were." Venus crept   
closer, one eye on Beryl's sword.   
A limp, trembling hand rose and wiped Beryl's overflowing eyes.   
"I'm not the monster you think, Venus. If all I care to do is love, how   
can I be a monster?"  
"You're not a monster," Venus appeased her. "Metallia is the   
monster; you're merely a pawn."  
Beryl reached out her hand. "I prayed to you, Venus. Will you   
help me now?"  
Venus tilted her head slightly, puzzled at this new turn of   
events. Beryl was young again, sobbing, holding out her hand to seek   
forgiveness. Is it my place to forgive her? Venus whispered in   
her mind. Two or three agonizing seconds ticked by. Venus choked back   
the tears in her own eyes. Her heart poured forgiveness, whereas her   
body refused to acknowledge Beryl's plea for mercy.   
Love your enemies. She held out her hand to the fallen   
queen, stretching out until their fingers were inches apart. It was   
a surprisingly touching scene: the Dark Empress, battered and bleeding,   
reaching out for help from the Golden Senshi.   
Venus's eyes closed, and then the tears came. With one swift   
thrust, she shoved the sword into Beryl's chest, using more force   
the blade encountered bone. Beryl let out a single squawk of surprise   
as blood, red now instead of green, spurted between her lips. Venus   
tried to avoid meeting her eyes but couldn't; they were wide and   
surprised, the look of a deer that hadn't yet realized that it had   
been shot. She choked back a sob as the light dimmed from Beryl's eyes   
and she uttered one last question.   
"I p-prayed to you, Venus."  
She yanked her sword back and let Beryl slump to the ground.   
"I'm sorry," she sighed, her voice clotted with sorrow. "You killed   
my Princess. You killed my lover. I can't forgive you for that,   
even if it wasn't your fault." She slowly backed away, and then   
took off running.   
  
***********  
  
Endymion instantly recognized the soft, distant sobs. "Serena?"   
"Endy!" she gasped in reply, throwing one arm around her   
beloved, shifting to keep from squashing Luna against his armor.   
"Oh God, I was so worried about you…" She dissolved into hysterical   
tears.   
He rubbed her back. "Shh…I'm OK, don't worry."  
She buried her face against his chest. "Endy, it's all falling  
apart-none of this was supposed to happen; I don't know what to do…"  
"Shh," he hushed her again, debating whether or not to break   
the news to her. "We lost Nephrite."  
"I know," she whispered, her throat constricted to the point   
where she could barely inhale. "We got ambushed. They're all   
gone now." Her face folded. "I killed my friends."  
Endymion hugged her tighter to him, placing his chin on top   
of her head. "No. No, you didn't kill them. It's not your fault,   
of this I'm sure."  
She turned her face away. "They died for me. Because of me.  
It doesn't matter, though, because I'm going to fix this, Endymion.  
I swear, even if it kills me in the process, I'm going to right   
everything that went wrong. I'm going to make up for all of this,   
I swear on my life."  
Luna momentarily lifted her head, thus completing the first  
animated movement since Artemis's death. Her maroon eyes ran with   
constant tears. "We've fallen. Again."  
"Luna, I wouldn't count us out just yet." The trio whipped   
their heads around, shocked out of their stupor by the familiar,   
usually cheerful voice.   
Jadeite and Venus emerged from the shadows, bruised, dirty,   
and both looking completely and utterly whipped. Venus's face was   
creased in lines of either exhaustion or sorrow, and Jadeite looked   
as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.   
Their swords were smeared with blood.   
"Jadeite!" Endymion exclaimed, absolutely astounded at the   
sight of his friend, who he had all but given up on. "Holy shit!   
I thought you were dead!"  
"Venus!" Sailor Moon threw herself into the Senshi's arms.   
"I was so worried about you! I couldn't lose you, too!"  
"What?" Her voice came out as sharp as a ginsu knife. "Who   
did we lose?" She braced herself for the worst.   
Sailor Moon's face was puffy from crying. "Everyone. Everyone   
except you two."  
Jadeite's heart fell to his stomach. "No. That can't be true."   
Raye's face burned in his mind's eye, her violet eyes and confident   
smile. "Please tell me you're making all of this up."  
Venus's expression was unreadable. Sailor Moon studied her,   
almost fascinated by her friend's complete lack of emotion surrounding   
the circumstances. She's choosing duty over love. Again. She's   
keeping herself together just for me.   
Her admiration turned to mild disgust and an enormous amount   
of self-hate. I don't deserve her, or any of them. I'm not   
worthy of this kind of loyalty.   
She locked eyes with Endymion and knew he felt the same way.   
"Don't worry," Sailor Moon hiccupped through her tears. "I'm   
going to fix this all, Venus. I promise."   
The taller girl didn't even blink. "I know you will," she murmured,   
sounding totally unconvinced, her heart wrung of its emotions like a   
towel from the laundry.   
"No, Venus, I really mean it! You see, I didn't tell anyone,   
but-"  
"What was that?" Jadeite interrupted her, spinning around and  
snapping to attention.   
"What was what?" Endymion echoed, trailing his eyes around   
every nook and cranny around the cavern.   
Sailor Moon tuned her ears to the sudden silence, and nearly   
fainted with fright when she heard it again: the sound of something   
wet and heavy scraping against the stone floor.   
"Oh no," she moaned, swaying as her knees turned to jelly.   
"No."  
"What the hell's that?" Jadeite exclaimed as Metallia scraped   
her way towards them, a shapeless mass of swirling, dark red bulk   
punctuated by the occasional swirl of dark energy.   
Endymion thrust Sailor Moon behind him, afraid more for her   
than for himself. "Stay back."  
She placed Luna on the floor. "Luna, get out of here."  
She didn't run, instead, she faced Sailor Moon with her eyes   
brimming with fearlessness. "No, I'm staying. I can't believe I   
let myself get caught up with grief when it's my duty to protect you."  
Sailor Moon almost kicked her in frustration. "LUNA NOT   
YOU TOO! I'm not letting another person sacrifice themselves for   
ME!"  
Metallia seemed to swell; her entire bulk filled the cavern   
from top to bottom. Sailor Moon was too scared to run from the black   
monstrosity, her legs locked together like links in a chain.   
The dark being sucked in a breath and spoke. "The crystal."   
Her voice hissed and echoed in true horror-movie fashion, but the   
sentence still came out like an order. Instinctively, Sailor Moon   
reached up and encased the precious object with her palm.   
"Give it to me."  
"No," Sailor Moon gasped, grief choking her voice as she   
remembered Mina and Raye's screaming match the previous night.   
Venus is right; it's too valuable.   
Two tentacles extended out from the black mass and shot past   
her. She whirled around, following the arms. Metallia had wrapped   
them around Venus and Jadeite like a constrictor around field mice,   
pinning their arms to their sides and covering their mouths. "Give   
it to me, or they die."   
Venus attempted to shake her head, but her neck was pinned   
by the monster's tentacle. She opened her hand as it was squeezed,   
and her sword clattered to the ground as it was released.   
The tinny sound amplified in Sailor Moon's mind until it   
seemed like a deafening roar in her already tortured mind. Little   
lines of sanity stretched and tore as she watched her friends, her   
family in everything but blood, being tortured by the embodiment   
of evil.   
"No more," she whispered, her face reflecting the white glow   
that had begun emanating from the crystal pinned to her chest.   
Endymion saw it happen, saw her form ripple and change and   
her fuku melt away like a mirage, and white material flowed around   
and enveloped her.   
He placed a hand on her own shoulder, dimly aware that he   
too was glowing, awash with golden light that could eclipse the   
sun itself.   
Unnoticed in the background, Venus suddenly went limp, and   
Jadeite ceased to claw at the tendril covering his airways and lay  
still. Luna leapt at it, scratching and biting, until she too was   
thrown off by Metallia and hit the wall, unmoving.   
Princess Serenity reached up and pulled the crystal off of   
her chest and held it in front of her, her arms fully extended. She   
felt it morph and change, and then she was holding a moon wand in   
front of her, the Silver Crystal sparkling in the center like the   
Hope Diamond.   
Metallia drew back a few feet, suddenly afraid of the new   
power that the little girl was wielding. The air crackled, and a   
bolt of black lightening jumped off of her mass and headed for the   
couple.  
A beam of pure silver light met it halfway, and Serenity's  
arms shook with the incredible effort of keeping it steady. She   
felt the tears running down her face as intensely as she felt   
Endymion's hand on her shoulder, lending her his power. She felt   
his love for her pulse through her in a separate current of   
energy, the feeling so intense that she felt she could conquer   
the monster with it alone.   
I love you, Endymion.   
The crystal's power continued to flow. Serenity felt   
disembodied; she felt like she was flying without ever leaving   
the ground, her mind elevated to planes of existence that she   
hadn't even been able to fathom. She felt like she was falling,   
between worlds that she could never have conceived. She felt like   
she was floating, drifting through and between matter, a feat   
unaccomplishable by the physical body. She smiled.   
In the back of her mind, she wondered if this was how her   
friends had felt when they died.   
She felt them as if they were there with her, smiling,   
lending her their power. She experienced her friends in a way   
never thought possible, and caught snippets of sensations of   
their lives, minute experiences from years past.   
The grinding texture of California sand.   
The popping flash of cameras.   
The smell of rain.  
The taste of cigarettes.   
The slip of a knife.  
The smooth white steps of a shrine.   
The stinging fall onto Astroturf.   
The twinge of guitar strings.  
  
She heard their voices, too.   
Go.   
Now, Serenity.   
Send this bitch packing.   
Forehead! I know it sounds weird, but aim for the   
forehead!   
Dude, she doesn't even have a forehead!   
  
She let the power rush out of her body. "Get off the   
Earth, you evil thing," she whispered.  
Metallia was whimpering now, desperately. She threw more  
energy at the diminutive girl, only to have it fly back at her.   
"NO!" she barked, drawing in the ends of her body as   
the silver energy drove into it, burning and tearing.  
"GET OFF THIS EARTH!" Princess Serenity screamed. "IN   
THE NAME OF THE MOON, REMOVE YOUR FILTH FROM THE FACE OF THIS   
EARTH! BEGONE!"  
A burst of silver light, like a star exploding,   
temporarily blinded them, Metallia gave one last, ear-splitting   
howl, and the cavern went dark.   
Serenity blinked, night blind in the instantaneous darkness.   
"Endy?"   
He released her shoulder, which he had been gripping the   
entire time. "I'm right here."   
"Oh GOD!" she sobbed, falling into his arms. "Did we do   
it? Is she gone?"  
"Yes," Endymion replied, his voice cracking. "She's gone."  
She pulled out of his embrace, frantic. "She's not gone   
forever; she's going to come back!"  
"We'll get her when she comes back, too," he said, his   
stomach still tied into a knot bigger than any Boy Scout could   
tie. "But we've lost most of them, I don't know how…"  
Her smile practically lit up the cave. "No, we didn't lose   
them!" She laughed softly as she held up the crystal. "My mother   
showed me how to catch them, how to catch their souls and encase   
them in the crystal! I caught Venus and Jadeite and Luna, too,   
because they died right before we attacked Metallia. And now-"   
She held up the crystal. "All I have to do is release them."  
Princess Serenity smiled, and lightly brushed the palm of   
her hand over the crystal like her mother had instructed, releasing   
whatever had been trapped inside out. It glowed silver for a split   
second, and then faded.   
"Hmm," she mused. "That was pretty quick."  
Endymion reached out and grabbed her hand, and pulled her   
to him. "I love you," he whispered, brushing his lips against her   
ear.  
She shivered from the sensation. "I love you too, Endymion.   
I'll never stop loving you."  
Their lips met, and they didn't part for a long time. Finally,  
Serenity pulled away, brushing off her white princess gown, which   
had stayed even though Metallia hadn't. "C'mon, let's go get them!"   
She started running, Endymion following, wondering why Venus   
and Jadeite were still laying on the ground.   
"Venus! What are you sitting down for?" Serenity chirped,   
rushing to her friend's side. She playfully kicked Jadeite's leg   
as she knelt down. "Venus, come on, I know you probably got the   
crap kicked out of you but we have to go get the others before they   
start wondering where we are! They're alive-Venus?" She shook the   
blond senshi's shoulder, gently at first, then more vehemently.   
"Venus! Answer me! Venus!"   
Sailor Venus's head lolled loosely on her shoulders. Serenity   
shook harder, repeating her friend's name with more and more   
desperation. "Venus! Wake up! You're supposed to wake up, please,   
please, please oh God oh no, no please no, no, VENUS! WAKE UP! I   
ORDER YOU!" She released her hold on Venus's shoulders, and her   
body slumped against the wall. "Endy, what happened why didn't it   
work what's wrong please tell me, oh no please God no…" Her body   
shook as she started sobbing, her chest so tight it felt like a   
giant hand was squeezing it. Her stomach began aching, and she   
leaned on the wall to keep from vomiting. "Why didn't it work?   
Luna…" She picked the cat guardian's lifeless body and pressed it   
to her face, letting it absorb all the grief that forced itself   
out of her body through her tears. "Luna, I'm sorry, I don't-know-  
what-happened! Mother, what happened? Why-why didn't it work?"  
Endymion wanted to comfort her; in the back of his mind, he   
knew it was what he should do; it was standard etiquette for any   
human being with an iota of compassion, but at that moment, his   
mind cloudy from shock, he drowned Serenity's sobs out for just   
an instant. Slowly, he raised two fingers to Jadeite's neck and   
pressed, too hard at first, desperate to feel a pulse vibrating   
under the skin like a miniature firehose.  
Nothing. Jadeite's lips were blue.   
That's easy. He just suffocated. Nothing existed in his   
mind, no emotions; all that remained was black and white procedure.   
He pulled Jadeite down to the floor and tipped his head back.   
Pinch the nose. He opened Jadeite's mouth and breathed   
for him. The air rushed back out almost immediately.   
Start chest compressions. There was too much force behind   
the first attempt; something cracked underneath his hands. Oops.   
Broke his ribs.   
He continued the same simple steps, counting in his head,   
ignoring Serenity's hands on his arm. "Hang on, Serenity, I'm busy."  
She was still sobbing. "Please, Endymion, leave him alone. Stop   
it."  
Endymion didn't stop. "I can't bring Venus back; her neck's broken.   
I can bring him back."  
"No, Endy-"  
"He just suffocated. I can bring him back.  
"Endymion, stop! You've been doing it for a half an hour!" He   
jerked his head up; unconvinced until he saw that the tear stains on   
her face were dry and cracking, and that her eyes were so puffy she was   
hardly recognizable. He pressed his hands against Jadeite's neck again:   
he was cold to the touch.  
"No." The word fell from his lips and echoed in the cavern. "No.   
Serenity."  
"Please, let him go," Serenity begged. Endymion allowed himself   
to be swept into his embrace. "Let him go."  
The pain lanced through his body with the speed of lightening,   
and he broke down as collapsed in her arms, sobbing. Fresh tears flowed   
down her face, and they swayed back and forth, together in their pain.  
  
************  
  
Serena nearly collapsed; having forgotten that one would teleport   
back to the same spot that one had departed from, it seemed like a nightmare   
when they reappeared in the middle of the guys' living room. She reached   
down and picked up a mostly empty glass of generic soda, a half-circle   
of lip-gloss staining the rim. In the back of her mind, she remembered   
Lita swiveling approximately ten thousand layers of Chap-Stick on before   
taking a drink, and she swayed on her feet.   
Darien circled the room, futilely attempting to collect his bearings   
while on the brink of losing it altogether. Every object in the room   
seemed to ruthlessly mock the very concept of death. The crumbs piled   
on the counter waited for a hand to sweep them into a cupped palm and   
dust them off into the garbage can. The Playstation's controllers lay   
twisted on the floor like spindly tentacles, waiting to be picked up.   
Matt and Kevin had abandoned their game of pool, leaving several random   
balls randomly lying on the felt. Darien picked one up, the cue ball,   
spotted with blue chalk that rubbed off on his fingers. He turned it over,   
listening to Serena's quiet sobs in the background, the pain slowly   
rising from his stomach until he thought he'd choke on it. His fist   
clenched around the hard sphere like he was trying to crush it into   
powder.   
He whipped around and threw it as hard as he could. Right into the   
face of the television.   
Serena screamed when the screen shattered, spraying the carpet   
with glass and sparks. She had never seen Darien like this, ever.   
"Stop! Darien!"   
He didn't hear her. Everything he could lay his hands on, he   
destroyed. He threw another billiard ball threw the window, a few   
into the kitchen, and used the rest of the ammunition to gouge holes   
in the drywall. One hard stomp broke the coffee table in half. In frenzy,   
he ripped apart the couch, threw lamps across the room while they were   
still plugged in, kicked chairs around until their legs snapped off.   
Serena was sobbing. "Mamo-chan, please stop."   
He didn't hear her, but instead moved into the kitchen to continue   
his rampage. He swept the empty liquor bottle collection off the top of   
the refrigerator, feeling a strange kind of satisfaction as the industrial   
glass shattered into oddly shaped pieces. A pile of clean plates was   
next to die, and the telephone, complete with the hated answering machine   
that had started everything in the first place. Anything Darien could   
lay his hands on was ripped, smashed, or otherwise destroyed.   
Serena picked up Amy's navy Bryce sweatshirt up off the couch and   
pressed it to her face. It smelled like Downy dryer sheets and Aquau   
de Gio. It smelled like Amy. Her grief swelled until she felt she would   
vomit. "Oh God."   
Darien suddenly stopped at her words, and turned slowly, like he  
had just noticed her for the first time. Serena lifted her head. "Mamo-chan?"   
He crossed the space between them in less than three seconds.   
Serena shrank back from the look on his face; he was either going to   
hug or hit her. "Mamoru? What are you doing?" His hand darted out   
and grabbed the crystal around her neck. "Mamoru!" He stared at it in   
his hand for a moment, his face completely expressionless as he studied   
the priceless object.   
Then he threw it, as hard as he could, against the wall. Zach   
would have been proud of that one.   
It shattered. The fragments twinkled for a second like a thousand   
points of light, and then disappeared, leaving behind nothing but an   
irregular dent in the wall and a hysterical Serena.   
"MAMORU! What did you do?!" She screamed, backing away from him.   
"What did you do? That was all I had of my mother!"  
He turned to her, his eyes completely expressionless, blank as a   
clean slate. His mouth opened, wanting to give birth to words that never   
came. "Usagi-"  
"You're scaring me, Mamo-chan," she whispered, gripping Amy's   
sweatshirt like a child clutching a comfort object. "Please stop, please,   
you're scaring me."  
The red haze that had been encompassing Darien's brain slowly   
dissipated, and he saw for the first time how small and scared she was.   
A new emotion added its way into the grief/anger/frustration melting   
pot: guilt. He reached his arms out to her.   
"Usagi." She fell into his embrace, and they sobbed together,   
for hours, until they fell asleep on the couch among the rubble, holding   
each other like shipwreck survivors.   
  
**********************************************************************  
  
don't panic! There is an epilogue! It will be out soon!  
  
  
  



	14. Epilogue

I do not own Sailor Moon or any brand names.  
  
Whew! The end? Or is it? I apologize for the sappy parts.  
  
  
  
Epilogue…I hope!  
  
A white light shimmered in the night sky that hung over the Earth, flashing its white brilliance for a split second before twinkling out. Six- year-old Kaylee Belles was the only one in the room who spotted it through her bedroom window. "Daddy! The sky lit up!"  
  
Frank Belles leaned his head down to peer between the white sills, completely ignorant of his stepson's very recent demise. "It must have been a shooting star, honey. There's nothing there now."  
  
Kaylee slid under her covers. "I think it was an angel. They live on the moon, you know."  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
The light had not disappeared, as Frank Belles suspected. It flew over the corners of the Earth, everywhere at once, so that Kaylee was by no means the only spectator of its short lifespan. It rushed to the tip of the Pole, and then spliced into a fresh hole in the unblemished layers of snow. It rushed through the caverns, passing by the bodies of dead monstrosities, stopping only when it reached its desired target.  
  
A pair of lungs suddenly inhaled, gasping as the stagnant air that had settled in rushed out and was replaced with oxygen, triggering the respiration process out of hibernation, the blood rushing through veins and arteries and capillaries as the heart started to beat again. The pair of bright blue eyes attached to the same body that the lungs shared snapped open, as good as blind in the absolute blackness.  
  
Jadeite gasped again, disoriented. A few moments ago he had been talking to his grandfather, no, sensing his grandfather, really, since a few minutes ago he didn't have a mouth to talk with. He had been nothing but a pure being, free from bodily restraints.  
  
"Jake," he whispered, his voice rusty. His grandfather's old nickname for him. "Grandpa…"  
  
Someone else hacked a cough in the darkness, and then groaned in pain. "Oh…" she moaned. "Where…?"  
  
A name occurred to him. "Venus? Mina?"  
  
"Jay-Jadeite!" Her head pounded as she pulled her battered body into a sitting position, rubbing her neck. "What…?"  
  
"I don't know," another voice answered, older and matronly. Something furry brushed against Venus's ankle. "What—why are we here? What brought us back?"  
  
Venus shuddered at the reminder. "Where's Serenity? I have to find her; I have to protect—"  
  
"Endymion?" Jadeite called into the suffocating black void. "Where are you?"  
  
Venus gathered Luna in her arms and moved towards the sound of his voice. "Jadeite? Where are you?" Her forehead smashed into something as equally hard, and forehead-shaped to boot.  
  
"OW! You found me," Jadeite said, starting to laugh. "Oh my God, I'm alive, I don't know how but I'm here…Venus!"  
  
She laughed along with him, tears streaming down her face. "I know! I know!" They embraced, nearly squishing Luna, who was sandwiched between them.  
  
"Where are—"  
  
"I don't know. Let's find them!" A golden heart flared up in her hand, temporarily blinding their newborn eyes. Luna moaned in pain.  
  
Jadeite thought his corneas had ruptured. "OW! OK, that's really fucking bright. Let's roll!"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Mars and Zoicite were yelling underneath their stone prison, both surprisingly sounding none the worse for wear despite being buried underneath a thousand tons of rubble. Jadeite's face positively lit up when he heard Mars' screamed curses.  
  
"Mars!" He jumped to the top of the pile, frantically digging. "Hold on, don't move, we're going to get you out."  
  
"Jadeite?" Her voice cracked with tears. Venus's heart tugged at the emotion in her friend's plea, but the illusion was soon shattered by Mars's next sentence. "Where the hell do you think I'm going? I'm buried under a ton of rocks!"  
  
"Ow, my ears please," Zoicite grumbled, unseen, his voice rising up from the rocks. "Uh, I'm not going to go off on why we should rightfully still be dead right now because this is neither the time nor the place, but on the other hand, does any one have any suggestions as to digging us out in a way that would be faster and easier than Jadeite's pick and roll?"  
  
"You know an easier way, Einstein? 'Cause I can just stop digging right now!" Jadeite stomped on a patch of rock.  
  
"OW! Asshole! When I get out from under here—"  
  
"Boys!" Venus shouted before immaturity had a chance to reign. She thought for a moment. "Jadeite, why don't you try blasting us out?"  
  
He swallowed and ran a hand through his sunny hair. "I was thinking of that, but I have this feeling that I'm going to throw a brick and end up frying them both, or something to that effect. I still don't have really great control."  
  
"What if I stick them in a dome?" A voice said behind them.  
  
Venus turned. Kunzite was standing in the entrance, supported heavily (or totally) on one side by Jupiter, his face chalky pale as he swayed. Jupiter tried to counterbalance his weight, and they both almost went over.  
  
"Jupiter! Kunzite!" Luna's brick red eyes welled up with tears. "I feared the worst when we left you behind to battle the youma."  
  
"Yeah, well you feared right, Luna." Jupiter lifted the guardian cat in her arms and pressed her face to the black fur.  
  
Venus ran to him, resuming her steady stream of tears. She threw her arms around him, squeezing his broad chest with every ounce of her strength. She began to sob as she listened to his heart hammering underneath the wall of muscle.  
  
"Nice to see you too, V," Jupiter grumbled, her cheeks rosy and eyes bright, looking unnaturally healthy next to the microwaved death that was Kunzite.  
  
Venus heard her, and reached out with one arm and encompassed her friend in the hug.  
  
"Don't leave me out!" Jadeite yelled, his voice full of elation at seeing his best friend alive. He rushed the trio and bear-hugged them. "Kunz, bud, I'd hug you but I think it would kill you right now. You OK?"  
  
"Remember that game last year against Oregon when I was knocked out? That was a goddamn pillow fight compared to—"  
  
"HELLO! Why are we concentrating on the people NOT buried under a ton of rubble?!"  
  
Jadeite broke away, his mischievous grin alive again on his face. "It has to be all about you all the time, doesn't it, Zoi?"  
  
"I'm under here too, SWEETHEART, so if you ever want to have sex with something other than you'll right hand, you'll find a shovel, pronto!"  
  
Jupiter smiled as she placed Luna on the ground and deftly caught Kunzite before he fell over. "It has to be all about you all the time, doesn't it MARS?"  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about, BITCH, so shut up and dig me out already!"  
  
It took hardly a minute to blast away the crumbly rubble. Mars through herself around Jadeite's neck, nearly in tears from joy. "Oh, God I thought I'd never see you again!" She pressed her face against his, brushing away stray tears with one filthy glove.  
  
Zoicite brushed clouds of dust from his hair and grinned as Venus and Jupiter nearly knocked him over with their tag-team hug. "Can we leave now? This whole Lazarus thing is really freaking me out."  
  
Mars's eyes twinkled, and she pried her face away from Jadeite's long enough to throw him a wayward grin. "Plus there's a good chance Mercury's alive, right?"  
  
"Hey, if I'm walking and talking and seriously hurting right now, there's no reason why she's not either. Can you make it, bro?" The last question was directed at Kunzite, who swayed unsteadily after Jupiter dropped him, his eyes glassy.  
  
"What? Yeah, I think. Just don't drop me, OK, Jupiter?"  
  
Why do I have to carry him? We have two more than capable guys here alive and well! She grunted as she readjusted herself under his bulky arm. "You know, it's a good thing you're not a really big guy or this would be pretty damn hard."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Curious," Mercury muttered to herself, and lifted the heavy, clawed hand of a dead youma and, to Artemis's horror, sniffed it.  
  
"Ugh!" Artemis leapt away, unable to continue watching the grisly display. "What are you doing?"  
  
She was too deep in thought to hear him. "Smells almost like…almonds. Boy, I really wish I had my computer with me. I wonder what happened to it…"  
  
Artemis sighed, ruffling his whiskers. "I'll add that to our list of concerns." He paced back in forth, uneasy with being so close to so many youma, dead or otherwise. He had tried to persuade Mercury to leave the throne room, to perhaps to find the others, to leave this horrible, dark place that chilled him right through the fur. She had considered his proposal for exactly two seconds before deducing that the others had a better chance of finding them than the other way around.  
  
"But Mercury," he had protested. "What if they're not-what if we're the only ones who are—?"  
  
"I'm not even going to even entertain that notion," she had said stiffly, and then began sifting through body parts, poking and prodding through the finer points of youma anatomy.  
  
Artemis watched her pick through body parts, most of them halfway incinerated courtesy of Jupiter and Mars. A few were cleanly spliced, most likely slashed with Venus's sword, and Mercury recognized her own flash- freezing on a handful. The guardian cat's words rang in her head, despite her best efforts to push them away with everything from the periodic table to commercial jingles.  
  
What if he's right? What if we're the only ones alive? What if—   
  
What if Zoicite's dead? Her vision blurred as tears built in her eyes and spilled over. She hastily wiped them with the back of her dirty glove.  
  
Could I live without him? She mentally berated herself for asking such a question that she already knew the answer to. If he were gone, she would simply stop. Stop everything. Stop eating, stop breathing, stop living. She would shrivel into an empty shell of herself and wait to blow away with the wind.  
  
How strange that someone could invade her being so much, in such a short time. She knew the touch of his skin. The smell of his neck. If she closed her eyes, she could go back to her dorm room, dark save for the orange light from the streetlights peeking in through the blinds. She was curled on her side in a fetal position, he was curled behind her, one arm under her neck and the other around her stomach.  
  
Oh God. Please. Please let him be alive. She mentally slapped herself.  
  
Serenity! How could let her princess, the one she swore to protect above all others, slip her mind so easily? You're slipping, Mercury. Cut it out. Standing there in near darkness, knee-high in corpses, she wondered if one person was worth it.  
  
She swiveled at a sudden noise behind her, Artemis scampering behind her legs in pure reflex. "What was that?" he whispered, his voice trembling.  
  
"Stay back," she responded, her hands glowing blue in preparation for battle.  
  
The doorway to the throne room rattled as something on the other side tried to force it open. "Who's there?" she hissed.  
  
The door swung open and banged against the hard stone of the wall, revealing Zoicite, who was rubbing and flexing his shoulder. "Wow. I think that was solid oak. Great idea, Mars; it's not like I really NEED my pitching arm or anything." He dodged her subsequent blow, barely.  
  
Mercury's couldn't speak. Her eyes simply sprouted tears like rain dripping from a tree leaf.  
  
"So, where do you think Neph's at? Should we go to information and have him paged?" Zoicite asked, slamming his fingers down on the keypad, trying to force his communicator to work for the umpteeth time. "Nope, still no reception. That's the last time I buy—well, not buy, from a cheap little Mom and Pop."  
  
Jupiter's lips were so tightly pressed together the blood had drained from them, and they were as white as his face. "I don't know. I hope he has the sense to stay in one place until we find him."  
  
  
  
"Jesus Christ." Nephrite sucked on his last cigarette, which was only a millimeter away from being just a filter. He could have sworn that the rock he was passing was the same one he passed twenty minutes ago. Just to be on the safe side, he stubbed his Camel out and placed the butt on top as a marker.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, it was staring him back in the face. "Fucking rock. This is bullshit."  
  
In another part of the drafty hellhole that Beryl had called home, Venus picked up her head and sniffed. "Smell that?"  
  
Jupiter broke out in a grin that seemed to light up the corners of the lightless cave. "Turkish Golds."  
  
Nephrite heard them coming, his heart almost leaping out of his chest as he picked out the voices. "HEY! OVER HERE!" He sent a comet hurtling to the ceiling that exploded into a thousand points of light. It illuminated Jupiter's tear-streaked face as she dropped Kunzite like a sack of potatoes and ran into his arms.  
  
"Oh my God!" she choked. "Oh my God!"  
  
He hugged her so tightly his arms cramped. "I was trying to find you! I wasn't leaving this place until I found you!"  
  
She laughed in his ear and pulled away, grinning from ear to ear. "Find me! You can't even find your car in Wal-Mart's parking lot!"  
  
"You're worth more than my car."  
  
She laughed. "That means something, too!"  
  
  
  
Teleporting was a bit more of a challenge, since basically they were all in a weakened condition and mentally drained, and concentrating when one has just been resurrected from the dead proved to be a most difficult challenge. A lack of energy landed them on the outskirts of the campus instead in a warm, dry, and very recently totaled living room, and as a double whammy they immediately detransformed out of their Guardian forms, and thus their accelerated healing decreased and the full brunt of their injuries hit them head on.  
  
Amy, Raye, and Zach were almost felled by agonizing pain in their head, but had to settle for collapsing on the curb, their heads in their hands, trying to block out the weak glow of the rising sun. Jay began coughing compulsively. Kevin, who had been threatening to pass out for the last twenty minutes, made good on his word and instantly crumpled to the pavement like a sack of wet cement.  
  
"Aw, damn, Kev! Get up! We can't carry you!" Matt, ever the thoughtful friend, kicked Kevin in the ribs.  
  
Lita groaned. "Should we call a cab?"  
  
"Got any cash?" She shook her head. "Plan B, please."  
  
A car turned the corner, some kind of lights on the roof, and for a split second, Matt presumed that it actually was a taxi, and was rehearsing his bargaining speech with the cabbie when he noticed that it was painted an ominous black and white. "Fuck."  
  
Mina groaned as she knelt next to Kevin. "Do you think they'll notice?"  
  
Jay turned around. "Mina, we've got a six-six, two eighty linebacker laying in a fetal position on the sidewalk. You tell me."  
  
Zach chewed his lip nervously. "I just contributed in saving the entire Earth from outside invasion and widespread destruction. So why am I still afraid of cops?"  
  
The cruiser slowed to stop in front of them, and a mustached, meathead cop sporting a pair of reflecting Oakleys ambled out, chomping on a soggy toothpick. "Looks like we had a rough night, huh fellas?"  
  
Jay wearily raised his eyes to the cop. "Officer, you have no idea."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Serena wanted to sleep forever, the amorphous blackness of dreamless slumber enveloping her like a blanket, smothering the agonizing memories at least temporarily, but as soon as gray light began leaking in between the destroyed blinds, her mind snapped back into consciousness.  
  
She was too tired to cry anymore; her swollen eyes stared at the ceiling while inside, she was completely blank.  
  
What do I do now? I can't go on without them. I can't live like this.   
  
Darien's breath was hot against her ear; she pulled closer to him, wondering why he didn't make her feel better.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"WHAT THE—" Zach displaced his anger at his present life situation onto the battered pay phone, its dirty chrome pitted scarred from years of small- time criminals hammering on it when their one phone call was met with endless ringing instead of the voice of a trusted friend willing to donate excessive amounts of cash (or bond). "Why aren't they answering? Amy, your turn, try Darien's place again. Leave another message."  
  
  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
  
  
She heard movements in the hallway, low voices, something scraping, and then the doorknob jiggled.  
  
Serena sat up with a start, knocking Darien's arm off of her. "Who's there?" she whispered.  
  
The door inched open, stopping when it hit a broken chair, and the person behind it pressed more weight and shoved it forward, bulldozing the crap out of the way.  
  
Matt and Jay dragged Kevin in, and in an affectionate display of care and concern, immediately dropped him on the floor with the delicacy of a falling piano. "Oh shit," Matt muttered, rubbing his sore shoulder. "Never again, dude."  
  
Jay was standing still in shock, taking in every inch of the decimated room. "Oh my God, what the hell happened?"  
  
Zach and Amy entered after him, their eyes wide with shock. Lita supported Raye on one side, Mina on the other. "Oh Mylanta!"  
  
Serena sat absolutely still, her breath coming out in shallow gasps. They hadn't noticed her yet, and Darien slept on. Artemis jumped over Kevin's body and poked at the pieces of the broken table. "Someone must have broken in while we were gone!"  
  
Matt's face flushed as he whipped out and punched Zach in the shoulder. "You left the door unlocked again! I'm going to beat your ass in!"  
  
Zach punched him back. "I didn't leave it open!"  
  
Matt wrapped his arm around Zach's neck and pulled him to the floor. "Well then who the hell did?"  
  
Jay ran his hand over a hole in the wall. He sighed. "There goes our security deposit."  
  
Serena made a small noise in the back of her throat; everyone stopped and stared at her. Mina broke through from the back.  
  
"Serena!" she rushed to the couch and threw her arms around her princess. Serena erupted into noisy, wet tears. "Are you OK? Metallia didn't hurt you did she?"  
  
The rest of the girls jumped in the hug. "I'm sorry, Serena! I thought you were a pile of dirty laundry!"  
  
"Oh, Lita!" Serena smiled, burying her face in the taller girl's neck. "I can't believe you're all alive!"  
  
Everyone stopped for a second, watching the two girls hug. A single tear, different from the other salty rills of water running down Serena's cheek, this one silver and glittering and solid, slipped out of her eye, turning over and sparkling with the brilliance of a ten carat DeBeer, and fell onto Mina's sweater. It spread out, expanding until it was the size of a starfish.  
  
"Oh!" Serena plucked it off. "The crystal!"  
  
"Holy shit! What just happened?" Matt rubbed his eyes.  
  
Raye blanched. "Why did it come out of your eye?"  
  
"Well, you see, Darien—"  
  
"Darien!" Jay started slapping him in the face. "Yo, sped. Wake up."  
  
Darien darted upright. "What--? Why--?" He nearly jumped out of his skin at first, shock with the force of an A-bomb  
  
They jumped on him in a piggy pile, shouting while Darien remained still, white-faced. "Oh my God. Oh my God." He seemed unable to form any other phrase; his face wavered and he started grinning crazily. "Fucking-A. Oh my God. How—you were dead! How did you—"  
  
Luna wiggled a little out of Serena's death hug. "I think I know."  
  
"Celebrate now, explain later!" Zach laughed, hugging Serena while she cried. "So what happened, Darien? And what happened to our place?"  
  
Darien began laughing, hysterically, until tears rushed out of his eyes and his throat hurt and scratched and his jaw ached. He felt like running down the street screaming and smashing car windows, but instead picked up Artemis with one arm and threw the other around Matt. "Someone must have broke in."  
  
Then he spotted Kevin sprawled out on the carpet, and his face fell. "Is Kevin dead?"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Kevin woke up in time to help with the cleanup.  
  
Zach was working overtime, repairing the table, smoothing over holes in the walls, and affixing legs to chairs. Everyone else was shoveling objects beyond repair into garbage bags.  
  
He stopped and sighed. "We might have to get a new TV." Collective groans.  
  
"It's on Darien!" Matt declared, miserably kicking a pile of splintered wood that had once been part of an end table.  
  
Darien spluttered. "Me? You're the one with money!"  
  
"Wait, you mean I'm going to miss "The Price is Right?" Jay was aghast.  
  
"You can live a week without drooling over Barker's Beauties," Raye retorted sharply, unfurling the twisty cord of the vacuum.  
  
"So what happened after you turned into Serenity?" Mina asked, delicately tossing the larger pieces of glass into the garbage.  
  
"Oh, yeah, well…" Serena finished the story.  
  
Artemis's brow furrowed. "So you caught our souls in the crystal, but something went wrong when you tried to release them?"  
  
She nodded. "That's what my mother did when the Moon Kingdom fell; she caught our souls in the crystal and released them into the future. She showed me how to do it, just in case something happened, and I—" She swallowed thickly. "I nearly died when it didn't work."  
  
Lita rubbed her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. It did work, in a…weird- roundabout-chance-occurrence way. That's all that matters, right?" She stood up. "Who's hungry? I'm in the mood to make some chicken Parmesan."  
  
Zach reached in a hole in the wall and pulled out the eight ball. "That would be do-able if we actually had chicken. Hey, why are you so wired and Kevin's ready to die?"  
  
"I'm fine," Kevin moaned from the couch.  
  
"Prove it, bro. Stand up."  
  
"No. Fuck you. Leave me alone."  
  
Lita rustled around the kitchen, searching for pots and ingredients. "Well, I have kind of an idea, but it's pretty gross. You see, when I was…brought back, I guess? I still had Zoycite's crystal stuck in my neck, and I guess that kept all the blood in. Kevin got slashed, and—it was so gross—most of his blood ended up on the floor." She stood up. "And WHY does it STILL smell like pot in here? You had that party two days ago."  
  
Amy was sweeping remnants into a dustpan. "I'm still trying to determine why in fact we were resurrected. Serena, you said yourself that your first attempt to release our souls failed."  
  
Darien stopped for a second. "Um, I think I did it, actually."  
  
"Really? How?"  
  
He squirmed, visibly uncomfortable. "Well, I broke the crystal. The first crystal."  
  
Mina's jaw dropped open. "You BROKE it? What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean I broke it. I threw it against the wall, and it shattered like glass and disappeared. I guess your souls were trapped inside, and they were freed when the crystal broke."  
  
Zach groaned. "You broke it. Wasn't our TV enough?"  
  
"Yeah, how are we going to watch March Madness now?" Matt added.  
  
Raye smacked Darien on the arm. "I can't believe you broke it! You're really lucky Serena cried a new one out, or we would have been up shit creek."  
  
"If Darien didn't break it, we wouldn't even be here to talk about, Raye," Jay added. She frowned at him.  
  
"Maybe that's why all I remember is white."  
  
Darien scoffed. "That's right. You should be thanking me." He scooped up a pile of debris and held it out to Zach. "Yo, Straub. Throw this away." No answer. "Zach? Zoi?"  
  
Zach was kneeling on the floor, a jagged piece of silver glass in his hands. "What? Sorry." He held the sharp triangle up to his face; familiar green eyes stared back at him. He tilted it slightly; the reflection wavered.  
  
In that instant, Darien knew what he was looking at, what he was remembering. What he was still beating himself up over.  
  
"Funny to think how it all started," he said softly. "Enough concentration, a lot of magic…"  
  
"One stupid word," Zach finished, chucking the piece of mirror away. "All this could have been prevented if I never opened my mouth."  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
"Thanks, Chiba; that's just another way of saying 'You fucked up and we know it', in nicer terms." He sighed. "Don't worry about it; it's not your fault. It was my stupid idea, and it just ended up blowing up in my face. Just like everything did back then."  
  
He was hit on the side of the head with a DVD case. "Zach, shut up. We didn't exactly twist your arm talking you out of it." Jay resumed his lament about the TV. "I'm more pissed about this right now. Darien, you didn't get in our rooms, did you? Because if you touched my—"  
  
"HEY!" Lita screamed from the kitchen. She reached into the oven and pulled out a plastic sandwich bag, half-filled with unmistakable greenish-brown foliage. "Someone stashed this in your oven! No wonder it smells like weed in here!"  
  
Luna gasped. "Someone left DRUGS in your oven?"  
  
"The nerve!" Matt interjected. "I'll get rid of it." He pulled it out of Lita's hands and passed it stealthily behind his back to Jay, who tucked it in his pocket. He winked at Darien. "So I'm thinking we need to have a party tonight."  
  
"Explain where this need comes from," Artemis mumbled, curling in a ball on the floor next to the couch.  
  
"We're alive. That's all the reasoning I need."  
  
Artemis stared at him strangely. "I guess it is."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"I love you."  
  
Serena giggled in the darkness. "I love you more." She leaned back against Jay's pillow, which smelled like Raye's Pantene conditioner, and let Darien kiss all over her neck. The sounds of the party were muffled through the closed door, shouts and laughter and music, sounds she would miss the most. Darien undid his belt with a clink.  
  
"Move, I gotta piss. Maybe shit." Musto, resident go-to guy after he picked up everyone from the police station that fateful day, let out that mood- killing adage in the hallway loud enough for them to hear through the door.  
  
"No, don't. Amy's puking in there." This time it was Erin's voice. They heard a door open and then shut.  
  
Serena raised her eyebrows in the dark. "Mamo-chan, maybe I should—"  
  
He kissed her forehead. "She'll be fine. Erin's with her."  
  
She was still worried. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes. Let's just try to have a moment alone without worrying about everyone."  
  
"But she was funneling…"  
  
"Usako."  
  
A sigh. "All right."  
  
The door burst open suddenly, letting in a small amount of dim orange light, a roar of music, and two occupants, kissing and laughing hysterically and tumbling like bowling pins onto the carpet. Jay, wearing only gray Bryce U. shorts, landed on top of Raye, who, to Serena's horror, was absent of all clothes except for her black and intentionally revealing underwear. Raye screeched, tried to wiggle out from underneath him, almost losing her bra in the process. "Stop it!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss as they rolled on the floor.  
  
"Raye! Oh my God!" Serena screamed, pulling the comforter up to her neck. Dear lord I'm half naked!! And so are they!   
  
Jay lifted his head and smiled. "HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON?" He was louder than normal (which was rather loud regardless), his eyes glassy and unfocused. "CHIBA, ARE YOU FUCKING IN MY BED?"  
  
Darien was crimson. "Jay, get the hell out of here!"  
  
They stood up unsteadily, Raye swaying like a Weeble-Wobble. "Sorry," she blurted out, and then collapsed on Matt's bed. Jay threw himself next to her and tried to pry her bra off again.  
  
Serena lost it. "BOTH of you get out! Get your own room!"  
  
Another figure appeared, silhouetted against the open doorway, all willowy limbs and waves of hair. "Raye? Are you in here?"  
  
"Mina!" Raye leapt off of the bed and threw herself at the blonde, who caught her in midair. The momentum sent them tumbling to the floor. "I lost!" They both found it absurdly hysterical.  
  
Darien blinked, not knowing whether to turn his eyes away or not. "Screw clothing" must have been the theme of the night, because Mina was clad only in a white camisole and panties. "I lost too!" she screamed.  
  
Raye held up one hand. "WE BOTH LOST!"  
  
"Lost what?" Serena asked, mildly curious.  
  
"Strip quarters."  
  
"You can play strip quarters?"  
  
"You can play strip anything."  
  
Two figures appeared in the doorway, blocking the light out once again, each toting an O.E. forty. "What's going on in here?" Zach asked, either not knowing or not caring that his girlfriend was on her knees worshipping the porcelain god across the hall.  
  
Matt was a little more unbalanced. "What're doin'?" He fell against the doorframe and was only prevented from falling by Zach grabbing the front of his shirt. "Why's everybody naked?"  
  
"That's it! Everybody get the hell out!"  
  
Matt and Jay rushed over to Darien, whose complexion by this time closely resembled Heinz 57, and both started punching him. "Darien's kicking me out of my own room!" Matt poured his forty on Darien's head while delivering that statement, soaking the pillow. Jay punched him in the teeth.  
  
"DUDE, THAT'S MY BED!"  
  
"EVERYONE LEAVE!" Serena shriek, her piercing voice snapping everyone to attention. Mina pulled Raye to her feet.  
  
"C'mon, let's leave them alone. We'll go bother Kevin."  
  
"I'm game," Matt said, rubbing his mouth. They filed out, Jay singing along with the party music as he left.  
  
"CADILLAC GRILLS, CADILLAC MIL'S, CHECK OUT THE OIL MY CADILLAC SPILLS…"  
  
Serena sighed. "I am sure going to miss this."  
  
"I'm not," Darien replied, lying.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"What are you thinking, Artemis?" Luna asked softly, twining around her tail with his. They sat together under a tree next to a grassy field in the middle of campus, watching everyone play touch football in the dusky orange light. It was warm, the bugs were starting to fly up from the grass in a flurry of white wings, and the air smelled like heat and earth.  
  
Artemis watched Serena sloppily lob the ball and scamper away like a rabbit. "That something's not right." Kevin stretched to catch Serena's pass, and then took off, knocking Darien down like one of those inflatable clown punching bags.  
  
"Of course something's not right. I still can't explain what kind of magic erased every person's memory. No one remembers anything: the youma attacks, or the Senshi…it's like all that evil never existed. I wonder if the television stations have the tapes, or if they're gone, too." She sighed. "Guess we're back to fighting evil in complete obscurity."  
  
"We never did it for the recognition." Across the field, Matt tackled Kevin at the knees and brought him down in an attack of grass stains. The two guardians pretended to ignore the subsequent swearing.  
  
"I know that," Luna huffed in reply. Her voice turned more matronly. "I don't know, I just wish the girls—and well, I guess the boys, too now—well, that for once they knew that they were appreciated for all they do."  
  
"They know they're appreciated. We appreciate them."  
  
"Of course, Artemis." She smiled a little, blinking to adjust to the dimming light. "Someday they'll get the recognition they deserve." She watched as Raye pushed Zach to the ground and kicked him in the ribs for good measure. "In the meantime…they can enjoy themselves. They can enjoy their normal lives."  
  
Artemis's nose twitched a little. "Goddess knows their lives won't be normal for long. There's always something on the horizon…" Jay dove on a fumble, and was promptly pounced on by everyone except Amy. "Weren't they playing touch football?"  
  
"At first," Luna said calmly.  
  
  
  
  
  
Amy tried her best not to sniff.  
  
She and Zach were spending the day packing up her room, her foster home for the last nine months; the place where she had laughed, cried, studied, worried, made friends, drew up plans to defeat the Negaverse, tried alcohol for the first time, and lost her virginity. Now it came off the walls, stripped off the bed, stuffed in cardboard boxes and suitcases. Almost every time they sealed a box, she would experience a mini-crying jag that she tried to hide from Zach, and believed herself successful until Zach hugged her tenderly from behind and pressed a Kleenex to her face.  
  
"Hey, it's OK," he whispered while she sobbed silently. She managed a small, wan smile.  
  
"I know. I just, I just…"  
  
"Got too comfortable?" She nodded. "Come on, Amy, it's not that bad. It's only for a couple months, and you'll get to see your Mom again, and sleep in a building that you don't share with two hundred other people."  
  
"Bedford has one hundred and sixty five."  
  
"You catch my drift."  
  
She smiled again. "This is hard; everything is making it hard. I like it here. I like the people, I like the curriculum, I even like swimming, and I thought I'd hate it." Her lip trembled precariously. "I'm going to miss the LIBRARY!"  
  
Zach bit back his laughter as she cried against his chest. "Yeah, I know. Third floor, reading room, last table on the left."  
  
"I-I'm going to miss it so much! I'm not going to see Lita or Darien or Mina or YOU for three months!" I have to stop crying. I'm leaving a huge stain on his shirt!   
  
"Hey. It's OK. We've got our amped-up cell phones, you can talk to me whenever you want."  
  
"It's not the same."  
  
"I know." They stared out the window for a few minutes, down towards the parking lot, filled with parents and students packing their cars for the trip home.  
  
Zach broke the silence first. "At least you don't have to live with Darien for three months."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Please! Both of you were thrilled when I proposed that solution."  
  
He grunted. "He's so possessive of his toothpaste. You would think it's made of gold or something, the way he hoards it."  
  
A breeze from the open window scattered some loose papers onto the floor. "Darn," Amy said, kneeling down to scoop those up. "Dr. Anderson wants a copy of my final project for—" Zach was standing at the window, staring down at the parking lot at a father and son loading boxes in the back of a minivan. The father clapped a hand on his son's back, and they climbed in the van and drove off.  
  
Amy tried to swallow away the lump in her throat. There was a question that she had wanted to ask for a long time, ever since Zach had brought it up a few weeks ago. "Are you going to go?"  
  
He snapped out of it and began gathering desk articles. "To what?"  
  
"To the hearing. You know—"  
  
"Oh. No." He pulled tape over a box. "Nana's going. She's going to testify to keep him there so he, uh, doesn't try and find me."  
  
Amy couldn't think of anything to say. "I guess it's better that h-he doesn't get out. What about your Mom?"  
  
"No one's found her yet. She's wouldn't go anyway; she's probably in LA sucking dick for crack."  
  
"Zach!"  
  
"What? It's true."  
  
"She's your mother!"  
  
"Nana's my mother." A trace of a smile passed his face. "The State of California Penal System is my father."  
  
She made a face at him, then softened. "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I can do."  
  
He grinned at her. "You do enough."  
  
There was a knock at the door. "Come in."  
  
A group of girls pushed their way in, toting a cluster of balloons and a cardboard box, their muscled arms exposed by their tank tops. The Lady "Amy!" they all screamed. Each one had blue hair, the blonde or brown roots poking out underneath the oddly colored locks. BU's Mermaids had arrived.  
  
Amy's face lit up. "Hi, you guys! What's going on?"  
  
The girl in front, a broad-shouldered, ponytailed senior named Audrey (nickname: Diesel) held out a piece of folded cardboard. "You weren't leaving without your team pic, were you?"  
  
Amy opened the frame. Inside, the team was lined up in front of the pool in two lines, wearing their blue and white warm-ups. Amy picked herself out of the first row, kneeling. Each girl had bright blue hair, the picture taken back at the start of the season, when they were freshly dyed. She broke out in a grin.  
  
Diesel ran her hand over Amy's head. "Wow! You've been touching up, huh? It looks good on you, Ames!"  
  
She lowered the picture. "I've grown to actually like it."  
  
"Get used to it!" Another girl, Lindsey, piped up from the back. "We're dyeing them again next year!" She ran up and embraced Amy. "Keep training, girl, we need you to break some more records next year!"  
  
Julie, a sophomore who was presently gawking at Zach, asked, "Hey Amy, are you coming out tonight? Sammy's going."  
  
Amy turned to Zach, her face aglow. "No, I think I'm staying in. I think my friend Raye's going there, though. I don't think she's occupied with anything important." Her face darkened. "And I don't think I'm drinking alcohol ever again after what happened last time."  
  
Zach rolled his eyes and hugged her. "Please. That is the saddest example of human bullshit…OW!"  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
"AH!"  
  
Raye buried her face on Jay's bare shoulder, breathing heavily as she came down. "Oh," she gasped, brushing stray hair out of her face.  
  
Jay adjusted the pillow behind his head and wiped his forehead. "You said that already. Along with 'God', 'Jay', and 'Yes'."  
  
She rolled off him and sat up. "So? Please don't make my imitate your O- face."  
  
"Stop hating on the O-face. If it wasn't for the O-face, there would be no O and you wouldn't be getting it so good."  
  
Raye's eyes widened and she hit him on the shoulder. "You're disgusting!"  
  
"And you like it!" She made a face, and leaned across and grabbed an elastic band off of her nightstand. She pulled her hair up into a sloppy ponytail with a few quick flutters of her hands. Jay absently reached up and fingers one of the black tendrils that hung off her forehead.  
  
"I'm going to miss you," he said, genuinely sounding sullen.  
  
Raye looked down at him, her violet eyes wide. "I know. I'm going to miss you, too. It'll be nice to see Grandpa again, but…" I can't joke around with him the way I do with you. I can't say or do things that I do in front of you. Because I've known you for three months and a thousand years, and I think you know me better than my own family.  
  
Oh yeah. And the whole sex part.   
  
His finger idly twisted her hair into a tight spiral. "I'm going to be bored." Because you're gorgeous and passionate and fun and everything you do from flipping your hair to chewing food makes me want to have sex with you.  
  
And I'll be around guys all summer. Yuck. I don't know what girls see in us anyway.   
  
"That's because you'll have no one to fight with," she replied, slapping his hand away when he pinched her butt. "OW! Stop it! I swear, you get off on antagonizing me!"  
  
Jay grinned, his full, shit-eating grin that was his trademark. "I get off when you get off, baby!"  
  
She jumped up and smacked him with her pillow. "YOU ARE UNREAL! Why do you say things like that?" Jay laughed so hard he started choking while he deflected her blows. Raye's face reddened until it burned. "You think this is funny?" She began pummeling him between words. "What…is…so…funny!:  
  
He grabbed her spare pillow and lightly whacked her in the stomach. "You're pillow fighting me naked. It's…" He sat up suddenly, grabbed her wrists and pulled her body against his. "Really hot."  
  
Raye was mad enough to burst, but her poisonous anger seemed to dissipate like smoke when he bent down and kissed her. She jumped up on his body effortlessly.  
  
Someone knocked at the door. "Raye? Are you home?"  
  
Jay broke the kiss and looked at Raye. Who's that? He silently mouthed.  
  
The intruder knocked again. "Raye?"  
  
Raye blanched. "It's that Chris guy from upstairs! You know, the one that does a lot of drugs and follows me around."  
  
Jay's eyes hardened until they were slits of blue in a remarkable impression of Kevin when mad. "Come back later, man. Or better yet, don't."  
  
Chris lowered his hand and turned away from the door. Tall and lanky, he lumbered down the hallway towards the elevators. Someone was waiting for him back in his room, someone important. Someone who was very interested in Raye, or rather, Raye's small blonde friend who he really didn't give too shits about…  
  
Raye herself on the other hand…if things worked out…well, Chris just really hoped that things worked out. He could get rid of that idiot baseball player she was fucking at the moment. Hell, he could get rid of all the idiot baseball players on campus. In the United States. In the world. All for a price, but well worth it. Next semester, he would have his chance. He and his new partner. Three months…  
  
Back in the room, Raye's eyes flew open. "That was so rude!"  
  
"So what? He's gone."  
  
"You are—" she jumped down and picked up the first object she could grasp, which happened to be one of her sneakers, and winged it at him. Jay ducked, and the sneaker hit the flimsy screen covering the window, and popped the frame out. Shoe and screen tumbled out the window.  
  
"NO!" Raye screamed, diving towards the open window, stopping only when she realized she was naked. "DAMMIT! MY SHOE!" She started hitting Jay anywhere she could. "This is all your fault!"  
  
"Raye?" came a voice from outside. "That you?"  
  
"Serena!" she shouted from across the room.  
  
Serena smiled up at the window, Raye's sneaker in her hand. "Are you trying to kill me?"  
  
"YES, Serena, that was exactly what I was planning on doing with my own SHOE which I NEED! I swear, you don't have enough brains to fill a Dixie cup!"  
  
Serena frowned, but Darien came to her rescue. "Raye, no offense, but you're the one who threw her shoe through a screen."  
  
"DARIEN SHUT UP!"  
  
Jay poked his head out the window. "Here, Chiba, toss it back up."  
  
Darien chucked it back, and the pair continued on. Serena was flipping through a stack of recently developed pictures, shaking her head each time. "This would be a great picture of Zach and Matt if they weren't holding forties…and well, giving me the finger. Oh God, I could never show this one to my mother; you can see right down Raye's shirt! And these…do we have any pictures that are decent?"  
  
Darien grabbed the pile. "Here. Maybe if you cut the sides off you won't be able to see the kegs."  
  
Serena rolled her eyes. "This is impossible. Even if Luna saw one of these, I'd never hear the end of it."  
  
"You know what else is going to be impossible?" He brushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ear. "Being without you until next semester."  
  
Serena grabbed his hand and kissed it. "I know. I'll miss you terribly." Her eyes welled up. "Do you really have to stay? Why can't you come home with me? I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind."  
  
He shook his head. "I would love to, Serena, you know that. But I've already got that internship at the hospital, and it's too big of an opportunity to pass up. Besides, it's only about three months. We've done it before."  
  
"I know. But you really don't have to get a job, you know? You'll be king of the Earth one day, and it won't really matter, will it?"  
  
The pleading look in her big blue eyes almost made him renege the whole deal and follow her anywhere. "Well, we really don't know that for sure. Me and the guys were talking about it last night when—" He cut himself off, almost giving everything away. When we were smoking that gigantic bag of pot we found. Right before I started giggling at Zach's screen saver and devouring all those Funyuns. "—when we went to The Green."  
  
"I didn't know you went to the bars last night."  
  
He pulled her close and picked up the pace a little. "Yeah, we did. We couldn't sit around all night." Yes, we did, while completely burnt and stupid. Kevin left the bartender a sixteen dollar tip. Nothing like that will happen again, and neither you nor the other girls will know what went on this time.   
  
"Oh." She stuck her hand into his back pocket. "You're not going out tonight, are you?"  
  
His smile was borderline dangerous. "I'm staying with you tonight. Don't plan on sleeping."  
  
"Oh, God, I can't believe you have me smoking. This is ridiculous. I can't do this. I'm going to get cancer. I'm going to get emphysema. I'm going to not be able to run." Lita exhaled a cloud. "How come I'm not coughing? Don't people cough when they smoke?"  
  
Matt tied the garbage bag shut. "I never coughed. I think it's because we have invincible lungs, remember?"  
  
"I guess. This is my first and last, though. I hate the taste, and it stinks."  
  
Lita sat on the counter in the kitchen of the guys' apartment, helping Matt clean everything out. Of course, they had taken advantage of being alone—several times—until Lita suggested that they clean out the refrigerator, which hadn't been done since they moved in at the beginning of last year. They had forgotten to defrost the freezer, too, and everything inside was covered with ice so cold it burned their fingers. They had started hacking at it with screwdrivers, making very little progress except for jarring their hands and frustrating themselves to the point of overload. Lita, stressed over the results of her final projects and living with Matt's family for the summer, had grabbed his cigarettes off the counter and lit up. Matt almost dislocated his jaw in shock.  
  
"Are you saying I stink?"  
  
"No! I'm just so nervous!"  
  
"About what?" He hacked off a giant chunk of ice, which crashed on the floor and skittered across the linoleum.  
  
"Everything. Meeting your family. Occupying their home, eating their food, running up their bills and just generally making a nuisance of myself."  
  
"MAKOTO, believe me, they WILL NOT CARE. They invited you in the first place, remember?"  
  
She made a face at him and blew out more smoke. "Yes, I know, NOAH."  
  
He flicked water at her face when she used his first name. "The only people that call me that are strangers."  
  
"Well, it's you, Noah Matthew Haberman IV!"  
  
"Ugh, stop it. You're making me sound like my father. The only people who call me that are strangers."  
  
Lita pulled a few boxes out of the freezer and automatically tossed them. "I like it. If I was your mother I wouldn't have started calling you 'Matt'."  
  
"Again, you have not lived in a house with three other 'Noah's' of varying generations. I think she wanted to know who she was talking to." He stabbed the ice viciously with his Phillips. "So why don't you go by Makoto? It's the name your mother gave you."  
  
She caught a falling ice tray before it had a chance to crack him in the head. "Not American enough. Everyone knows me by 'Lita'."  
  
He tousled her hair, his eyes a little bit sad. "How about I can call you 'Makoto', and you can call me 'Noah'? Fair deal?"  
  
Lita smiled. "Sure. We're going to confuse the hell out of everyone."  
  
"Who cares? It's their problem." Matt leaned forward and kissed her quickly, on the corner of her mouth. "Let's put this away for awhile, huh? I can think of better things we could do…"  
  
She shrugged him off. "After we're done. This fridge is making me sick."  
  
He sighed. "Fine! Let's just chuck everything and get this over with."  
  
"I thought that was the plan anyway."  
  
Matt reached into the back and pulled out a misshapen greenish ball covered in freezer burn. "What's this?"  
  
Lita examined it closely. "Oh, I think it's the youma hand that Amy stuck in there. She wanted to dissect it."  
  
Matt automatically dropped it the floor like it was on fire and frantically shook off his hand. "You're fucking kidding me!"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Oh my lord—I think I'm going to be sick. Do we have any Lysol?"  
  
She slid her arms around his waist. "How about I make you feel better?" She kissed him, deeply, warm and wet. The only sound in the apartment was their heavy breathing. Matt hauled her up on the counter, and she began to pull her shirt over her head as she wrapped her legs around his waist.  
  
Matt stopped her. "Could we just like—could we get rid of the hand first? It's freaking me out."  
  
"Oh, you're kidding." She stared at him closely. "You're not."  
  
"C'mon. This was almost but not nearly as disgusting as finding Jay's retainer in the utensil drawer."  
  
She let out a Cheshire Cat smile. "Wait, I have an idea." She picked the frozen hand up and carried it into the bedroom, and slipped it under Zach's pillow.  
  
"No! The retainer's under there! Put it under Kevin's!"  
  
"OK. He's going to kill us, you know."  
  
"We won't admit to anything; he'll have to torture us first. Now, where were we…?"  
  
  
  
"This book doesn't make any sense," Mina complained, throwing it in the grass. She leaned back against Kevin's chest. "It has all the Italian words listed first. How am I going to find the words I need like this?"  
  
Kevin picked it up and flipped through it. "Maybe you could try using the second half of the book where it's English to Italian."  
  
She grabbed it out of his hands, and blushed scarlet. "I knew that."  
  
"No, you didn't. Or else you wouldn't have asked."  
  
"Whatever." She turned her head so her cheek pressed against the hard muscle of his chest. "I'm going to hate Italy." The breeze rustled the leaves of the tree they were sitting under, allowing little patches of sunlight to leak through. Mina had taken off her sandals and buried her bare feet in the thick, carpet-like grass.  
  
"Yeah, right. That's like saying 'I hate money'. It just doesn't happen."  
  
"Well, it will happen. I'm going to be flying around this entire summer, living out of my suitcase, and the only people to talk to are perverted photographers and druggie models. Do you know how ridiculous coked-up models are? I think I'll be the only one who doesn't snort a kilo of blow up her nose daily."  
  
"Promise me you won't do anything stupid like that." Good one, Belles. Great way to call the kettle black after that all that bud you smoked last night. God, I hope Jay wasn't playing with cameras again.   
  
Mina didn't even miss a beat. "Of course. I've grown attached to my brain cells, thank you."  
  
"I've grown attached to your brain cells, too." His hand roved to the small of her back. "So make sure you come back in one, unburnt piece."  
  
"I will. I promise." She absently played with her cuticles. "When my contract is up, I don't think I'm going to renew it."  
  
He lifted his eyebrows. "Why not?"  
  
"I don't know." She shifted around in his arms. "I don't want to have to leave every weekend anymore; I'm sick of sitting in hotel rooms by myself wondering if I'm needed back here, if something's happening and I'm not there to protect Serena. I'm tired; it's a full time job and I'm only 19. I need a break." She sighed. "I'm going to take semester off, at least. I want to get my grades back up. I want to spend time with you." She leaned her head back, rubbing her forehead against his chest. "Besides, I already have a full time job. One that pays zero, comes with no benefits, comes with an incredible amount of responsibility that no one with two brain cells to rub together would want, and puts my life on the line. Swell, huh?"  
  
"Don't I know." Mina knew he did.  
  
They stayed that way for the rest of the afternoon, leaving when the light started to dim into gray dusk, and the cicadias came out and started humming, and Mina gathered her shoes and held Kevin's hand as they walked back to his apartment, for a night of sex, solitude and thawing youma hands.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Darien saw it coming. He threw Serena's carry-on bag up to deflect the blow, but somehow Raye's fist managed to snake past his upraised arm and knock his sunglasses from his head.  
  
"IDIOT! Don't you ever drive like such a dick again! You know Kevin drives like an old man!"  
  
Kevin made a face at her comment. "I do not—"  
  
"Yes, you do! Don't even lie about it." Raye was in a particularly bad mood; Darien figured she was seriously shortchanged on sleep. She pulled off one of her shoes and handed it to the guard. "My God, just because you have a fast car doesn't mean you could weave around like that. Drive like a normal human when you have someone following—"  
  
"Raye! Stop talking to my boyfriend like—like he's your boyfriend!" Serena yelped. Jay blanched.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"All right, everyone shut up." Matt stepped in. He squeezed Lita's hand and pulled her aside. "You OK? Remember, you're not actually getting on a plane. We're never even going to leave the ground."  
  
Lita's face was white, but she smiled. "I know. I'm just a little nervous. I hate even being around these stupid things. There is no way I'm ever getting on one again. We'll just have to teleport."  
  
"We'll miss the in-flight movie that way."  
  
"Guys! Late?" Mina tried not to bite her nails as she ran down her mental checklist. Passport. Tampons. Communicator. Wallet.   
  
Artemis poked a paw out of the cat carrier. "I don't think I could take this again; Luna, if I get sick like last time…"  
  
"Artemis, if you keep this up all the way to Japan, I'm going to muzzle you. Mina, tell him about the muzzle."  
  
She opened the carrier and lifted him out and squeezed him. "I'm going to miss you so much! It just won't be the same in Europe without you!"  
  
"I know, Mina, I'll miss—Mina—you—argh! I can't breathe!"  
  
She loosened her grip. "Sorry."  
  
They reached their gates, the ones that would take three of them to Japan and one to Italy. "Guess this is it," Zach muttered flatly.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Serena held back her tears as she faced Darien. "Did you ever notice that we're always saying 'goodbye' and 'see you later'? Don't you wish this would be the last time we ever had to say it; that we wouldn't need those words anymore? That we'd never have to say them again, because we'd never be apart again?"  
  
He cupped her face with his hands, caught her tears as they fell. "I wish those words to be gone forever."  
  
Raye and Jay were listening in. "Wow, someone was paying attention in class." He kissed her forehead. "Do you mind if I was a lot less poetic?"  
  
She lifted her chin, strong and proud. "I don't care how you say it, just as long as you do."  
  
"OK, how's this: I will miss you. Every day. I will think of you every minute when I'm not sleeping or kinda sleeping or spacing out or something to that effect. It will suck, because I love you. I will be happy again when you are back."  
  
She shrugged. "It's not Shakespeare, but it'll do. How's this for me: I will miss you. Every moment. Except those when I am sleeping or meditating, but even then I will still probably think of you, because I love you that much."  
  
He pulled her close. "Good enough."  
  
Zach held Amy against his chest as she quietly sobbed. "Don't cry, Amy. It's not that sad; we'll see each other again."  
  
She choked a little. "Promise?"  
  
"I promise. I will never let you go, no matter what. Anytime you need me, I'll bust my ass getting to you. I'm never far away."  
  
She smiled through her tears. "I know you're not."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you more."  
  
"That's impossible."  
  
Mina tried her best not to cry. "I hate goodbyes. They always end up badly for us."  
  
Kevin took her hand in his. "Let's break our record, then, huh?"  
  
"OK." She took his other hand. "Goodbye. For three months. Then goodbye never."  
  
The stoicism cracked in his face and he smiled. "I was scared to talk to you at first. I thought we'd have nothing in common."  
  
"Little did we know."  
  
"Yeah, really. But now we do."  
  
She tossed her hair back. "And nothing is keeping us apart this time. Not time, not distance, not evil. I love you. I loved you before I saw your face."  
  
"I loved you before I knew you existed."  
  
"Had to trump me, didn't you?" She raised her face to his. "Kiss me."  
  
Lita wiped away imaginary tears. "Oh God, it's so sad! Matt, give me a goodbye, too!"  
  
"All right. Goodbye, Mako! I'll see you in the parking lot in five minutes, then in the car, and then back at our place for the Case Race! Until then, my love! Those five minutes will be like getting eaten alive by cannibal ants with extra teeth."  
  
She elbowed him in the ribs. "You're such a dork. Let me say goodbye to my girls."  
  
The couple got to exchange one last look before Lita pulled them aside into a huddle. "Well, this is it girls. What a fucking year, huh?"  
  
"You sure got a mouth on you," Raye retorted, her smile taking the edge off her words.  
  
"Shut up. How do we want to do this?" Mina asked, her hair falling in her face.  
  
"Short and sweet, like me?" Serena giggled. "Quick and easy, so it doesn't seem like goodbye?"  
  
"Got it." Lita winked. "See you next semester you guys. I love you."  
  
"We love you too, Makooo," Serena warbled through her fresh tears, regaining some of her junior high giddiness.  
  
"Stay safe," Raye said.  
  
"Be careful," Amy warned.  
  
"And remember," Lita finished, glancing back at the guys, standing off to the side. "Till death do us part. Friends until the end."  
  
"Amen." Mina added reverently.  
  
"God bless," Serena raised her eyes heavenward.  
  
"BREAK!" Raye shouted. They darted in three different directions, giggling through their tears.  
  
"Until next year, girls," Lita whispered after them. "We'll all be waiting."  
  
  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
  
  
Again, I grovel in forgiveness at this taking so long. I really didn't mean it. Thanks to all that stuck by me and showed support. I know that this was hard to read sometimes, and I have plotholes the size of China, and it started out Mina-centric and then just turned into Senshi soup. Some lines I wish I cut, some things I wished I added, but oh well! Make sure you bug me for the sequel: Venusorbit1@aol.com 


End file.
